Citizenship and Immigration Canada
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Eligibility criteria for federal skilled worker applications
Under changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, federal skilled worker applications are assessed for eligibility according to the eligibility criteria listed below. Note: This does not apply to applicants intending to live in the province of Quebec.
These criteria affect you only if you applied on or after February 27, 2008. If you applied before February 27, 2008, your application will be processed according to the rules that were in effect at that time.
Is my application eligible for processing?
In order for your application to be eligible for processing, you must either:
- have an offer of arranged employment, OR
- be a foreign national who has been living legally in Canada for one year as a temporary foreign worker or an international student, OR
- be a skilled worker who has had at least one year of experience* in one or more of the following occupations within the last ten years:
*Experience is defined as continuous full-time or equivalent part-time paid work experience
0111: Financial
Managers
0213: Computer
and Information Systems Managers
0311: Managers
in Health Care
0631: Restaurant
and Food Service Managers
0632: Accommodation
Service Managers
0711: Construction
Managers
1111: Financial
Auditors and Accountants
2113: Geologists,
Geochemists and Geophysicists
2143: Mining
Engineers
2144: Geological
Engineers
2145: Petroleum
Engineers
3111: Specialist
Physicians
3112: General
Practitioners and Family Physicians
3141: Audiologists
and Speech Language Pathologists
3143: Occupational
Therapists
3142: Physiotherapists
3151: Head
Nurses and Supervisors
3152: Registered
Nurses
3215: Medical
Radiation Technologists
3233: Licensed
Practical Nurses
4121: University
Professors
4131: College
and Other Vocational Instructors
6241: Chefs
6242: Cooks
7213: Contractors
and Supervisors, Pipefitting Trades
7215: Contractors
and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
7217: Contractors
and Supervisors, Heavy Construction Equipment Crews
7241: Electricians
(Except Industrial and Power System)
7242: Industrial
Electricians
7251: Plumbers
7252: Steamfitters,
Pipe fitters and Sprinkler System Installers
7265: Welders
and Related Machine Operators
7312: Heavy-Duty
Equipment Mechanics
7371: Crane
Operators
7372: Drillers
and Blasters – Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction
8221: Supervisors,
Mining and Quarrying
8222: Supervisors,
Oil and Gas Drilling and Service
9212: Supervisors,
Petroleum, Gas and Chemical Processing and Utilities
NOTE: the occupations above are all Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations) or Skill Level A (professional occupations) or B (technical occupations and skilled trades) on the Canadian National Occupational Classification list.
If you are not sure if you should apply as a skilled worker, you can use the eligibility tool to get an idea of whether your application would be eligible for processing.
Federal skilled worker applicants who do not meet the above criteria will be informed of this and will have their processing fee refunded.
There are many ways to immigrate to Canada. If you don’t meet the criteria to apply under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you may qualify under another category. Learn more about your options.
