Frequently asked questions:
Skilled workers and professionals

According to the eligibility criteria, I am eligible to apply as a skilled worker if I am a foreign national who has been living legally in Canada for one year as a temporary foreign worker or an international student. What do you mean by living legally in Canada for one year? Can it be any year?

This refers to foreign nationals who have been living legally in Canada for at least the past year as temporary foreign workers or international students. You can meet this requirement with proof that:

• your authorized period of stay was at least one year, and it must be the year immediately preceding your application;
• throughout this period you have been a temporary foreign worker or an international student; and
• you are still in Canada.

Proof of your authorized stay may include:

• an entry stamp in your passport;
• a temporary resident record;
• a work permit; or
• a study permit.

Proof that you are a temporary foreign worker or international student may include:

• letters from employers or schools;
• records of pay;
• attendance records;
• report cards; or
• transcripts, etc.

Proof that you are still in Canada may include a residential address and correspondence sent to that address.

This list is not exhaustive. We may accept other proof that you have been living legally in Canada for the past year as a worker or student.

Note: If you are subject to an unenforced removal order, you are not considered to be living legally in Canada.