Federal skilled worker program

The Federal Skilled Worker Program is for skilled workers with work experience from outside Canada who want to become permanent residents.
Skilled workers are selected based on their education, work experience, language skills, and other factors. This category includes:
• Managers and supervisors
• People in jobs that typically require:
o A university degree
o A college diploma, or
o Apprenticeship training

Skilled Work Experience

To meet the skilled work experience requirements, follow these steps:
1. Find your National Occupational Classification (NOC) for your job. Ensure it meets the skilled work experience criteria.
Your skilled work experience must:
• Be in one of the following TEER categories: 0, 1, 2, or 3. (TEER stands for training, education, experience, and responsibilities)
• Be the same NOC as the job you want to use for your immigration application (called your “primary occupation”).
Note: Your primary occupation may not be your most recent work experience.
• Show that you performed:
o The tasks listed in the lead statement of the NOC job description, and
o Most of the main duties listed for the occupation.
• Have been obtained within the last 10 years, whether in Canada or abroad.
• Be paid work (you must have been paid wages or earned commission; volunteer work or unpaid internships do not count).
• Be at least 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total (this equals 30 hours per week).
Your skilled work experience must meet all these requirements to be eligible.

Part-time Work Experience: For part-time work, you can work more or fewer than 15 hours per week, as long as the total adds up to 1,560 hours. You can combine hours from multiple part-time jobs to meet the required hours for your application. Any hours worked over 30 hours per week will not be counted.
Student Work Experience: Work experience gained while studying may count toward your minimum requirements if:
• It was paid by wages or commissions,
• It was continuous (no gaps in employment),
• It meets all other requirements of the Program.

Language ability:
To prove your language skills for Express Entry, you need to take an approved language test in either English or French. Here’s how you can do it:
English Tests:
• CELPIP- General Test: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program
• IELTS General Training Test: International English Language Testing System
• PTE Core: Pearson Test of English

French Tests:
• TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français
• TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du français

Minimum Language Requirements:
Your required language proficiency depends on the NOC TEER (Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities) classification for your job.
English CLB French NCLC
CLB 7 NCLC 7

Second official language: Minimum level of CLB or NCLC 5.

This means the test results must be dated within 2 years of the date you complete your Express Entry profile or submit your application.
 Education:
If you studied in Canada, you must have a certificate, diploma, or degree from a Canadian:
• Secondary institution (high school), or
• Post-secondary institution.
If you have education from outside Canada, you must have:
• A completed educational credential, and
• An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for immigration purposes.

Selection Factors:
If you meet all the minimum requirements, IRCC will use selection factor points to assess your eligibility.
They will evaluate your selection factors and give you an overall score out of 100.
• If you score 67 points or higher, you may qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and can submit a profile to the Express Entry pool.
• If you score below 67 points, you will not qualify for the program.
These points are separate from the points used to rank your profile in the Express Entry pool.

Language Skills (Maximum 28 Points)
First Official Language (Maximum 24 Points)
Check the table below and add the points based on your skill level:
First Official Language Speaking Listening Reading Writing
CLB Level 9 or higher 6 6 6 6
CLB Level 8 5 5 5 5
CLB Level 7 4 4 4 4
Below CLB Level 7 Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible

Second Official Language (Maximum 4 Points)
You can earn 4 points if you have at least CLB 5 in all four language abilities.
Second Official Language Points
At least CLB 5 in all abilities 4
CLB 4 or less in any ability 0

Education (maximum 25 points)
You must include your Canadian credential or your foreign credential and Educational Credential Assessment report when you apply.

Skilled work experience (maximum 15 points)
Skilled Work Experience (Maximum 15 Points)
To earn selection factor points, your work experience will count if it was:
• In Canada or abroad
• While you were studying
• While being self-employed
Use the chart below to find the number of points based on your years of skilled work experience:
Experience Points
1 year 9
2-3 years 11
4-5 years 13
6 or more years 15

Age (Maximum 12 Points)
You will receive points based on your age on the day we receive your application.
Age Points Age Points
Under 18 0 40 7
18-35 12 41 6
36 11 42 5
37 10 43 4
38 9 44 3
39 8 45 2
46 1 47 and older 0

Arranged Employment in Canada (Maximum 10 Points)
You can earn points if you have a job offer for at least 1 year from a Canadian employer. You must have this job offer before you apply to come to Canada as a Federal Skilled Worker.
A valid job offer must be:
• For continuous, paid, full-time work (minimum of 30 hours per week) that is:
o Not seasonal
o For at least 1 year
• In an occupation listed in TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the NOC.
We must be convinced that:
• You are capable of performing the job offered to you.
• You will be able to become licensed or certified when in Canada (if the occupation is regulated in Canada).
To earn 10 points for a valid job, offer, one of these situations must apply:
Situation 1:
• You currently work in Canada on a work permit and meet all of the following conditions:
• Your work permit is valid when you apply and when the permanent resident visa is issued (or you are allowed to work without a work permit when your visa is issued).
• Your work permit was issued based on a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for an occupation listed in TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the NOC.
• You are working for the employer named on your work permit.
• That employer has made a valid job offer based on you being accepted as a skilled worker.

Situation 2:
• You currently work in Canada in a job that is exempt from the LMIA requirement due to one of the following reasons:
• An international agreement (e.g., the North American Free Trade Agreement),
• Significant benefit to Canadian interests, or
• A federal-provincial agreement.
• You must meet all of these conditions:
• Your work permit is valid when you apply and when the permanent resident visa is issued (or you are allowed to work without a permit when your visa is issued).
• Your current employer has made a valid job offer based on you being accepted as a skilled worker.
• You are currently working for the employer specified on your work permit.
• You have been working for that employer for at least 1 year, continuously full-time or part-time equivalent.

Situation 3:
• You meet all of the following conditions:
• You currently don’t have a work permit, or you don’t plan to work in Canada before receiving a permanent resident visa.
• An employer has a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
• The employer has made you a valid job offer based on that LMIA and your acceptance as a skilled worker.

Situation 4:
• You meet all of the following conditions:
• You have a valid work permit or are allowed to work in Canada without a work permit.
• You are currently working in Canada in a job that is exempt from the LMIA, but it is not due to an international, federal-provincial agreement or because of significant benefit to Canadian interests.
• An employer, other than the one you are currently working for, has a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and has made you a valid job offer based on that LMIA and your acceptance as a skilled worker.

Adaptability (Maximum 10 Points)
You and your spouse or common-law partner, who will immigrate with you to Canada, can earn points for adaptability. These points assess how well you and your spouse are likely to settle in Canada.
You can earn up to 10 points by combining any of the following factors:
Adaptability Factor Points
Your spouse or partner’s language level 5
Your spouse or common-law partner has a language level in English or French at CLB 4 or higher in all 4 language abilities (speaking, listening, reading, and writing).
To earn these points, you must submit their language test results from an approved agency (valid for 2 years from the test date).
Your past studies in Canada 5
You completed at least 2 academic years of full-time study (in a program lasting at least 2 years) at a secondary or post-secondary school in Canada. Full-time study means at least 15 hours of classes per week, and you must have stayed in good academic standing.
Your spouse or partner’s past studies in Canada 5
Your spouse or common-law partner completed at least 2 academic years of full-time study (in a program lasting at least 2 years) at a secondary or post-secondary school in Canada. Full-time study means at least 15 hours of classes per week, and they must have stayed in good academic standing.
Your past work in Canada 10
You did at least 1 year of full-time work in Canada in a job listed in TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the NOC, with a valid work permit or while authorized to work in Canada.
Your spouse or common-law partner’s past work in Canada 5
Your spouse or partner did at least 1 year of full-time work in Canada with a valid work permit or while authorized to work in Canada.
Arranged employment in Canada 5
You earned points for having arranged employment in Canada.
Relatives in Canada 5
You, or your spouse or common-law partner, have a relative who is:
• Living in Canada
• 18 years or older
• A Canadian citizen or permanent resident

This relative must be one of the following:
• Parent, grandparent, child, or grandchild
• Sibling (child of your or your spouse’s parent)
• Aunt or uncle (by blood or marriage)
• Niece or nephew (grandchild of your or your spouse’s parent)

Proof of Funds
You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family when you settle in Canada.
You do not need to provide proof of funds if you:
• Are currently able to legally work in Canada, and
• Have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada.
How Much Money You Need
• The amount of money you need to support your family when immigrating to Canada depends on the size of your family.
• The table below shows the minimum amount required to immigrate to Canada as of June 3, 2024. If you have more money, you should list the full amount in your profile or application.
Number of Family Members Funds You Need (CAD)
1 $14,690
2 $18,288
3 $22,483
4 $27,297
5 $30,690
6 $34,917
7 $38,875
For each additional family member (if more than 7) $3,958

Admissibility:
You must be allowed to enter Canada.
Some people are not permitted to come to Canada for various reasons. These could include security concerns, criminal history, or medical issues.

Where you can live in Canada:

You must plan to live outside the province of Quebec, as Quebec chooses its own skilled workers. If you plan to live in Quebec, refer to Quebec-selected skilled workers for more details.
When creating your profile, you’ll be asked where you intend to live in Canada. However, you’re not required to settle in that specific province or territory.
If you’re a Provincial Nominee, you must live in the province or territory that nominated you.