Federal Skilled Worker Program

Applicants are selected based on a grid of 100 points that assesses the candidate’s overall capacity to adapt to Canada’s labour market. The grid takes into consideration factors such as education, work experience and knowledge of English or French. Applicants must meet the pass mark of 67 out of 100 points. Successful applicants must also meet admissibility requirements.

• Processing times: New applications finalized within 12 months. Priority is given to applicants with arranged employment.
• The foreign worker is responsible for the application process; however, employers can significantly improve the chances of having an application approved by making a qualifying job offer in a skilled occupation. See Arranged Employment.

In order to be eligible, Federal Skilled Worker applicants must have:

• valid third-party language test results and arranged employment; OR
• at least a year of full-time experience in a priority occupation.

CIC currently has an annual cap of 10,000 new Federal Skilled Worker applications and sub-caps of 500 for each of the 29 occupations. Applicants with qualifying job offers are not affected by the cap.