Permanent Residence in Canada with Express Entry (outside of Quebec)

The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)

Immigrants who are eligible to take part in the Federal Skilled Worker Program are those who have had at least one year of continuous, full-time (or 1560 hours) paid employment (whether in Canada or elsewhere) within the last 10 years. If your continuous work experience was not full-time (at least 30 hours per week), you must have at least 1560 hours of continuous experience (e.g. 24 consecutive months of 15 hours of work per week or multiple continuous part-time jobs to reach full-time over 12 months). This occupation must fall under categories A, B, or 0 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This program can be particularly interesting for young people with a good level of education (either in Canada or recognised by Canada) and languages, as well as a good work experience record without having acquired too much work experience in Canada (or even without work experience in Canada).

You can check to see if your occupation falls into categories 0, A, or B by going to the Employment and Skills Development Canada website:

• Category 0: for occupations in the field of management. It is defined as follows: “This skill type category includes legislators and senior and middle managers. These occupations cover all skill types.”
  Examples: finance director, IT service manager, headteacher, agricultural manager…
• Category A: these occupations usually require a university education.
  Examples: financial analyst, human resources professional, marketing, communications and public relations professional, biologist, landscape architect, computer analyst, occupational therapist, employment counsellor, archivist, curator…
• Category B: these professions require a “college or vocational training or apprenticeship programme”.
  Examples: administrative assistant, documents management technician, insurer, ship broker, industrial instrument mechanic, computer network technician, early childhood instructor, graphic arts technician, graphic designer, chef, cook, butcher, baker, hairdresser, shoemaker, embalmer, boilermaker, welder, plumber, cabinetmaker, tiler, crane operator, driller…

In addition, you must possess a certain level of language skills (in French and/or English) in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to take the French test or the English test. You must have at least CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark) 7 in your chosen language.

You can get extra points if you take a test for the second language (French or English) and reach at least CLB 5. Note that this second test is not mandatory.

You must also prove that you have a Canadian higher education diploma or equivalent via an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report in order to be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. You will not be able to enter the Express Entry applicant pool under the Federal Skilled Worker Program without a Canadian diploma or ECA report.

Pre-Selection for the Skilled Worker Category

Before they can enter the Express Entry applicant pool, candidates must score at least 67 out of 100 points on a different assessment grid to that of the Express Entry. Without these 67 points, you will not be able to enter the Express Entry applicant pool under the Skilled Worker Program. The 100 points are based on the following criteria:

• Your French and/or English language skills: up to 28 points. 24 points for the first language (so we recommend choosing French if you are a native French speaker and vice versa) and 4 points for the second language.
• Your education: up to 25 points.
• Your work experience in a full-time job (in categories A, B, or 0 of the NOC): up to 15 points. The minimum duration (one year) earns you 9 points. From 2 to 3 years: 11 points. From 4 to 5 years: 13 points. 6 years or more: 15 points.
• Your age – maximum of 12 points: you receive 12 points if you are aged between 18 and 35. The number of points decreases with each extra year beyond that.
• An arranged employment in Canada earns you 10 points.
• Additional criteria – maximum of 10 points. You can obtain extra points for different things: the language level of your spouse/partner, previous studies in Canada, your spouse/partner’s previous studies in Canada, at least one year of professional experience in Canada in category A, B, or 0 of the NOC (also applies for your spouse/partner), arranged employment in Canada, or the presence of an adult family member (18 years +) who is a permanent citizen of Canada (parent, grandparent, child, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew).

To find out more, it’s recommended that you first take a good look at this page from the IRCC website to self-assess and see if you can easily achieve these 67 points. If you cannot achieve them, you will not be able to join the Express Entry applicant pool under the Federal Skilled Worker category.

To learn more about the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), here are some useful links on the IRCC website:

• Who is eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)?
• The six selection criteria – Federal Skilled Workers
• More information on the CLB skill level
• Other available resources on the CLB skill level in French
• Other available resources on the CLB skill level in English
• More information about funding requirements