Federal Skilled Worker Class Immigration Program

Skilled workers are people who are selected as permanent residents based on their ability to become economically established in Canada. In order to be eligible applicants must:

1. be a skilled worker who has at least one year of experience in one or 29 qualifying occupations in the past 10 years; or
2. have an offer of arranged employment; or
3. be a PhD international students in Canada who have completed at least two years of study towards a PhD or an international PhD graduate in Canada within the last 12 months who is not recipients of an award requiring him/her to return to home country.

Note: If you are applying under one of the 29 eligible occupations, as of July 1, 2011, a maximum of 10,000 Federal Skilled Worker applications will be considered for processing in the following 12 months. Within the 10,000 cap, a maximum of 500 Federal Skilled Worker applications per eligible occupation will be considered for processing each year.

Note: Under PhD Student stream, a maximum of 1,000 applications from this category will be considered for processing each year. This will not be included in the total for any other cap. Applications will be considered in order they are received. The first cap year for the PhD stream begins on November 5, 2011.
 
These limits do not apply to applications with an offer of arranged employment.

Prior to submitting your application, please make sure that the cap is not reached for your occupation(s):

Total complete applications received since June 26, 2010

Additionally, you must obtain at least 67 points according to the six selection factors in the skilled worker points grid. The six selection factors are:

Whatever the number of points awarded, Canadian Immigration Visa Officers always have the discretion to accept or refuse an application based on a substituted evaluation.

In addition to meeting the above criteria, successful applicants must show that they have sufficient settlement funds to support themselves and their dependants after arrival in Canada. Applicants and their dependants must also undergo medical examinations and security clearances as part of the Canadian immigration application process.

Applicants intending to reside in Montreal or another city in the Province of Quebec are subject to the Quebec selection criteria.

Take a FREE online Eligibility Assessment.

For more information on the Federal Skilled Worker Program, see our Federal Skilled Workers FAQ.