Canada Express Entry Federal Skilled Worker Program

Listed out as one of the three immigration streams under the Express Entry program, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is one of the best immigration pathways for skilled professionals who aspire to settle in Canada and become permanent residents of Canada. 

What is the Canada Express Entry Program?

The Canada Express Entry program is an immigration pathway that enables skilled professionals to immigrate, work, study, and settle in the country for at least 5 years and settle as permanent residents of Canada.

The Canada Express Entry system enables skilled professionals to immigrate to the country under three specific economic immigration streams, which are as follows:

• Federal skilled worker program (FSWP)
• Federal skilled trades program (FSTP)
• Canadian experience class (CEC)

What is the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)?

The Federal Skilled Worker Program is an economic immigration stream listed under the Express Entry program, which attracts professionals with skills, education, and international work experience to immigrate to the country and secure Canada permanent residency. 

It is ideal for candidates who have:

●    International work experience outside Canada

●    Skills and education from recognised institutions

●    Proficiency in language (either English or French) 

Benefits of FSWP Program 

1. The FSWP immigration stream under the Express Entry program offers a direct pathway to permanent residency, offering a hassle-free experience to candidates. 

2. Applicants applying for Canada PR under the FSWP stream do not mandatorily require a prior job offer letter. 

3. The selection process under the FSWP stream is a point-based selection process, as each profile is evaluated on six selection factors. 

4. Apart from other immigration programs, the FSWP program holds less processing time, i.e, approximately 6 to 8 months. 

5. Applicants applying for Canada PR are also enable them to include their family members in the visa application. 

6. Prospective immigrants are also entitled to all the social benefits such as healthcare facilities, affordable and low-cost educational benefits, and old-age pensions schemes. 

7.    Aspiring immigrants who aspire to settle in Canada have the freedom to settle anywhere in the country (except Quebec). 

Professionals eligible for Canada PR under FSWP criteria, after meeting permanent residency requirements, become eligible for Canada citizenship, hence a quick pathway to Canada citizenship.

Immigrating to Canada under the FSWP program under the Express Entry pathway requires various significant requirements such as 67 points criteria on the point assessment grid, educational qualifications, language proficiency, and sufficient funds. Let us explore certain eligibility requirements such as :

1.   The 67 points criteria

Commonly known as Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores, which evaluates candidates on certain factors age, educational qualifications, work experience and English language proficiency score report. 

The FSWP program assess candidate’s profile on the six selection factors, which are as follows:

1.   Age

2.   Educational Qualifications

3.   Language Proficiency

4.   Skilled Work Experience

5.   Arranged Employment

6.  Adaptability 

The Six Selection factors allocate respective points to each factor which ensures prospective immigrants to score out of 100. A minimum of 67 points are mandatory for each individual applying for Canada PR under FSWP stream under Express Entry program. The points allocation are: 

 2. Education

Applicants applying for Canada PR with educational credentials obtained outside of Canada, then they must have:

●    all the documents that prove educational credentials. After educational credentials, they must possess an ECA certificate. An ECA certificate acts as an assurance to the Canadian federal government that the applicant possess qualifications according to the Canadian standards. 

3. Language

Language proficiency is regarded as a crucial aspect for Canada PR application. Applicants are required to take approved language tests and meet the minimums scores in all of the four modules – writing, reading, listening and speaking.

Canada, being a bilinguistic country, accepts both English and French for proficiency tests. The language proficiency tests accepted are: 

❖  IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

❖  CELPIP (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program)

❖  PTE Core (Pearson Test of English)

❖  TEF Canada (Test d’évaluation de français)

❖  TCF Canada (Test de connaissance du français) 

The minimum requirements for both the languages are: 

First Official Language

English —- CLB 7

French —-  NCLC 7 

Second Official Language

Minimum level of CLB or NCLC 5 

CLB – Canadian Language Benchmark

NCLC – Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien for French 

4. Work Experience

Work experience required by the applicants for applying Canada PR is at least one year of continuous work in an organisation. The work experience mentioned is accepted when it aligns with the job applied for and occupation listed on the National Occupation List with their valid NOC codes.

5. Proof of funds

Professionals who aspire to settle in Canada as permanent residents, require to display minimum funds which assure their capabilities of nurturing themselves and their respective family in the country. The proof of funds are: 

Applicants having certain requirements do not require proof of funds while applying for the visa application. Applicants do not require funds if they are: 

●  are currently able to legally work in Canada

●  have a valid job offer letter from an employer in Canada

Canada PR Application Fee  

Applicants while submitting their application with necessary documents and after receiving Invitation to Apply, are required to submit application fee alongside the biometric fee which is as follows:

Canada PR Processing Time

Applicants aspiring to immigrate to Canada are required to wait for at least 6 to 8 months. The processing times are also dependent on certain factors such as existing applications in the pool, additional requirements raised by IRCC.