Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)

What is the Federal Skilled Worker Program & who is it for?

The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is one of the three federal immigration programs managed by the Express Entry system.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched the FSWP as a pathway for skilled workers with foreign work experience who wish to settle in Canada permanently and who are able to meet the program's minimum requirements for skilled work experience, education and language ability. Skilled workers must also score at least 67 points on the program's 100-point grid.

Candidates who meet the eligibility requirements of the FSWP are able to submit a profile to the Express Entry pool on IRCC's website where they are ranked against other candidates using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

During an Express Entry invitation round, IRCC invites candidates with the highest CRS scores to apply for permanent residence.

How to apply for the Federal Skilled Worker Program

The process of applying under the Federal Skilled Worker Program can be broken down into the following steps:

Step 1. Determine Your Eligibility

Find out if you are able to meet the minimum requirements for the program for:

• skilled work experience
• language ability
• education
• proof of funds
• living outside Quebec
• admissibility

If you are able to meet the minimum requirements, you will also need to score at least 67 out of 100 points on the Federal Skilled Worker points grid, which evaluates your:

• age
• education
• work experience
• English and/or French language ability
• adaptability (how well you can establish yourself in Canada)
• a valid job offer (if applicable)

Provided you meet all the requirements and are eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you will be able to create an Express Entry profile and submit it to the pool of candidates.

Step 2. Collect your documents

To create your Express Entry profile, you will need to refer to information from the following documents:

• Passport or travel document
• Your National Occupational Code (NOC)
• Language test results (i.e. IELTS or TEF)
• Proof of education level (Canadian credential or ECA)
• Provincial nomination (if applicable)
• Written job offer (if applicable)

You will not need to upload these documents to submit your profile, but it will be important for you to refer to them while creating your profile.

Step 3. Create and submit your Express Entry profile

The next step involves completing the Canadian government's Come to Canada tool. The purpose of this tool is to determine if you would be a good candidate for Express Entry.

While completing the questionnaire, you will be asked a series of questions about your human capital profile (i.e. your work experience, language ability, etc.). 

If the tool has determined you are eligible for Express Entry, you will receive a personal reference code.

You will also be instructed to create a GCKey account, which will allow you to submit your Express Entry profile and subsequent application for permanent residence, pay your application fees, check the progress of your application and receive messages and updates from IRCC.

Once you have submitted your Express Entry profile, you will be ranked against other candidates using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and given a score out of 1,200 points. Your CRS score is based on the details you provided in your profile.

Step 4. Get an Invitation to Apply

Once your profile has been submitted, IRCC will conduct periodic draws targeting candidates in the Express Entry pool.

During an Express Entry invitation round, the highest ranked candidates who meet the CRS cut-off score of an Express Entry draw are issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence.

The higher your CRS score is, the higher the likelihood that you will receive an invitation to apply.

Factors that affect your CRS score are:

• age
• level of education
• official languages proficiency
• French language skills
• brother or sister living in Canada (permanent resident or citizen)
• Canadian work experience
• arranged employment
• provincial nomination

Candidates in the Express Entry pool can take steps to increase their CRS score and maximize their chance of receiving an ITA by:

• reviewing how the CRS is calculated
• identifying "weak points" in their profile
• focusing on areas that will have a drastic impact on their score (such as improving their language test scores or gaining more work experience)

If you do not receive an ITA within 12 months of submitting your profile to the Express Entry pool, your profile will automatically expire. At this point, you will be able to create a new Express Entry profile, essentially starting the process over from the beginning.

Step 5. Apply for Canadian PR

If you obtain an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence, you will have 60 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence and upload the documents you used for your profile (Step 2). In addition, you will need to upload copies of your:

• Birth certificate
• Medical exams
• Police clearance certificates
• Documents attesting to work experience
• Proof of funds
• Digital photos that confirm your identity

The documents you need to provide for Express Entry will depend on the program you are applying under, your civil status, your work and education history, and other factors.

After you have submitted your electronic application, IRCC will make sure that you:

• meet the requirements of an Express Entry-aligned program
• completed your application for permanent residence correctly by providing all the necessary supporting documents
• paid your processing fee
• are admissible to Canada (based on the results of your medical exam, police certificates and background checks)

If you are approved, you will receive:

• a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR)
• a permanent resident visa (if you're from a country that requires one)

Federal Skilled Worker eligibility requirements

You must meet the following minimum eligibility criteria to be considered eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program:

Skilled Work Experience

You must have at least one year (or 1,560 hours total at 30 hours per week) of continuous (or an equal amount in part-time) paid work experience within the last 10 years in an occupation classified as Skill Type/Level 0, A or B under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system.

Language ability

You must take an approved language test in English or French and get a minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in all four factors:

• reading
• writing
• speaking
• listening

The approved English language tests are:

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - General Training option
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) - CELPIP-General test

The approved French language tests are:

• Test d’évaluation de français (TEF Canada) 
• Test de connaissance du français (TCF Canada)

Once you have obtained the results from your language test(s), you will be able to determine your language level according to the:

• Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) for English tests; or 
• Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for French tests

Education

If you have a foreign education, you must complete an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for immigration purposes from a designated organization if:

1. You are applying under the Federal Skilled Worker Program
2. You want to claim points for your education under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)

The purpose of the ECA is to evaluate your foreign credential (certificate, diploma, degree) against Canadian standards.

The approved ECA organizations are:

• Comparative Education Service – University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
• International Credential Assessment Service of Canada
• World Education Services
• International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)
• International Credential Evaluation Service 
• Medical Council of Canada - for specialist physicians (NOC 3111) or general practitioners/family physicians (NOC 3112)
• Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada - for pharmacists (NOC 3131)

You can also obtain points for your spouse or common-law partner's education (if applicable) by having their educational credentials assessed.

Proof of Funds

You must show that you have enough money for you and your family to settle in Canada. You do not need to provide proof of funds if you are currently able to legally work in Canada or have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer.

The amount required will depend on the size of your family:

Living Outside Quebec

You must intend to live outside the province of Quebec, which has its own pathway for selecting skilled workers. 

Admissibility

You must be admissible to Canada.

Being "inadmissible" to Canada means that you are barred from entering Canada for any of the following reasons:

• security (espionage, subversion, violence or terrorism, membership in an organization involving any of these)
• human or international rights violations (war crimes, crimes against humanity, being a senior official in a government engaged in gross human rights violations or subject to international sanctions)
• crime (such as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol)
• organized crime (including membership in a group that takes part in organized crime)
• medical reasons (medical conditions that endanger public health or safety and which cause excessive demand on health or social services)
• financial reasons (being unable or unwilling to financially support yourself or your family members)
• misrepresentation (providing false information or withholding information which affects decisions made under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA))
• failure to comply with any provision of IRPA
• having an inadmissible family member

Federal Skilled Worker selection factors

In addition to meeting all the minimum requirements above, you will also need to obtain at least 67 points out of 100 on the Federal Skilled Worker points-grid, which evaluates candidates across six selection factors:

To claim points for your work experience, it must have been full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) paid work experience within the last 10 years in an occupation classified as skill type 0, or skill levels A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).

Second official language: 

You can claim up to an additional 4 points for second official language if you have a score of at least CLB 5 in each of the language abilities.

You can claim 10 points for a job offer from a Canadian employer. The job offer must be: 

• for continuous, full-time, paid work that is not seasonal and is for at least 1 year 
• in an occupation listed as skill type 0 or skill level A or B

To get points for a valid job offer under arranged employment, one of the following scenarios must apply:

Federal Skilled Worker FAQs

What is a skilled worker?

A federal skilled worker is a professional who is selected for Canadian permanent residence through the Express Entry system because of their education, work experience, English and/or French language ability, and several other factors that can help them succeed in Canada.

The province of Quebec has its own pathway for skilled workers that isn't managed through Express Entry or a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

Do I need a job offer for the FSWP?

No. You do not need a job offer to be eligible as a federal skilled worker or to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) as an Express Entry candidate. 

However, you will need a job offer to meet the requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker Program if you do not have enough money to support yourself and your family.

Even though a valid job offer isn't required under the FSWP, you may wish to obtain one in order to claim additional points under the CRS and increase your chances of being invited to apply.

How many points do you need for the FSWP?

If you are interested in applying under the Federal Skilled Worker stream, you must score at least 67 points out of 100 on the Federal Skilled Worker points grid.

You can also calculate your potential score by using our Federal Skilled Worker Points Calculator.

What is the difference between the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program?

Though both programs are managed by Express Entry, there are distinct differences between the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program. 

The following table will list the key differences between the two programs:

Can I apply for both the FSWP and CEC?

No. Even if you are eligible for more than one Express Entry program at a time, you can only receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for one program based on the details of your profile.

When there is an "all-program"  Express Entry draw (meaning the draw is not specific to a program, like CEC or FST) and you are eligible for more than one option at the same time (i.e. you are eligible for both FSW and CEC), the system will invite you to apply for one of the classes in the following order:

1. Provincial Nominee Class (PNC)
2. Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
3. Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
4. Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

What is a good CRS score for the FSWP?

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score cut-off is dynamic and changes every time there is an Express Entry draw.  Express Entry candidates with a CRS score over 450 are generally in a good position to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA). 

Since the start of the Express Entry system in 2015, the lowest CRS cut-off score for Federal Skilled Worker Class candidates was 413, which occurred in a "No Program Specified" draw that took place on May 31, 2017. 

What are the eligible occupations for the FSWP?

To be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you must have at least one year (or 1,560 hours total at 30 hours per week) of continuous (or an equal amount in part-time) paid work experience within the last 10 years in an occupation classified as Skill Type/Level 0, A or B.

The following table lists all the skilled occupations that are classified as NOC 0, A and B. These occupations are eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program.