The Federal Skilled Worker Program is an attractive immigration program for skilled workers and professionals who have work experience and training in areas that are in high demand in Canada. Applicants can settle and work in any of Canada's provinces or territories except Quebec and there are no conditions placed on applicants upon entry to Canada.This program is currently under revission and is closed to applicants who do not have any valid job offer from the Canadain employer.

Federal Skilled Worker Program

The list of 24 occupations that are eligible under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) when it re-opens on May 4, 2013 was released.

In addition, four organizations have been designated to provide the now-required independent third party assessments of foreign educational credentials for applicants who studied outside of Canada. These assessments must be completed before an application is submitted.

With the re-opening date approaching, future applicants should be aware of several key elements that will have an effect on the application process:

•A new eligible occupations list, with a total of 24 occupations;

•An overall cap of 5,000 new applications for all eligible occupations, including a sub-cap of 300 new applications for each eligible occupation;

•Four organizations have been designated to conduct educational credential assessments (mandatory for applicants submitting foreign educational credentials); and

•Applicants must show proof that they meet the minimum threshold of Canadian Language Benchmark 7 in all four language skill areas: speaking, reading, writing and oral comprehension.

Applications under the new FSWP will be accepted starting May 4, 2013. Until then, however, the FSWP application process does not change – only individuals with qualifying job offers or those applying under the PhD stream are eligible for processing.

After meeting eligibility requirements, applicants are assessed against selection criteria, also known as the “points grid.” There are 100 points available to applicants, with points awarded for official language abilities, age, education, work experience, employment already arranged in Canada, and adaptability. The current pass mark is 67.

Eligible Occupations List

The eligible occupations stream will have an overall cap of 5,000 new applications and sub-caps of 300 applications in each of the 24 occupations on the list.

Eligible occupations (with their corresponding 2011 National Occupation Classification code):

•0211 Engineering managers

•1112 Financial and investment analysts

•2113 Geoscientists and oceanographers

•2131 Civil engineers

•2132 Mechanical engineers

•2134 Chemical engineers

•2143 Mining engineers

•2144 Geological engineers

•2145 Petroleum engineers

•2146 Aerospace engineers

•2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers/designers)

•2154 Land surveyors

•2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers

•2243 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics

•2263 Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety

•3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists

•3142 Physiotherapists

•3143 Occupational Therapists

•3211 Medical laboratory technologists

•3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists' assistants

•3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists

•3215 Medical radiation technologists

•3216 Medical sonographers

•3217 Cardiology technicians and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c. (not elsewhere classified)

Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)

The designated organizations are:

•Comparative Education Service;

•International Credential Assessment Service of Canada;

•World Education Services; and,

•Medical Council of Canada.

It is very important all young applicants who are able to satisfy the language proficiency requirements and are interested to apply under Federal skilled worker program to start the process of obtaining their educational degree assessments as soon as possible prior to January 2013 that the program will be open and the applications can be submitted.

New Federal Skilled Trades Stream

The program criteria are built around four requirements that ensure applicants will have the right skills and experience needed to succeed here in Canada. In order to qualify, applicants will need to:

•have an offer of employment in Canada or a certificate of qualification from a province or territory to ensure that applicants are “job ready” upon arrival;

•meet a basic language requirement;

•have a minimum of two years of work experience as a skilled tradesperson, to ensure that the applicant has recent and relevant practice as a qualified journeyman; and

•have the skills and experience that match those set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC B) system, showing that they have performed the essential duties of the occupation.

In order to manage intake, avoid backlogs and ensure fast processing times, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will accept up to a maximum of 3,000 applications in the first year of the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

“Eligible occupations will include electricians, welders, heavy-duty equipment mechanics, and pipefitters, among others. A list of skilled trades is announced prior to the program opening on January 2, 2013.

The Federal Skilled Trades Program will complement other avenues already in place for skilled tradespersons to immigrate to Canada, such as the Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Programs.

Therefore As of July 1st, 2012, to qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you must have a valid offer of arranged employment from a Canadian employer, or be an international student enrolled in a PhD program in Canada (or graduated from a Canadian PhD program within the past 12 months)

Group A – Jobs with sub-caps of 100 applications each (and their corresponding 2011 NOC code)
•7202 Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
•7204 Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades
•7205 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
•7271 Carpenters
•7301 Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades
•7302 Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews
•8211 Supervisors, logging and forestry
•8221 Supervisors, mining and quarrying
•8222 Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling services
•8241 Logging machinery operators
•8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
•9211 Supervisors, mineral and metal processing
•9212 Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities
•9214 Supervisors, plastic and rubber products manufacturing
•9231 Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing
•9241 Power engineers and power systems operators
•9243 Water and waste treatment plant operators

Group B – no sub-caps (2011 NOC code)
•7231 Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors
•7233 Sheet metal workers
•7235 Structural metal and plate work fabricators and fitters
•7236 Ironworkers
•7237 Welders and related machine operators
•7241 Electricians (except industrial and power system)
•7242 Industrial electricians
•7243 Power system electricians
•7244 Electrical power line and cable workers
•7245 Telecommunications line and cable workers
•7246 Telecommunications installation and repair workers
•7251 Plumbers
•7252 Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers
•7253 Gas fitters
•7311 Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
•7312 Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
•7313 Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
•7314 Railway carmen/women
•7315 Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors
•7318 Elevator constructors and mechanics
•7371 Crane operators
•7372 Drillers and blasters - surface, mining, quarrying and construction
•7373 Water well drillers
•8231 Underground production and development miners
•8232 Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers
•9232 Petroleum, gas and chemical process operators

International Students Enrolled in a Canadian PhD Program

To qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program under the PhD category international students must be enrolled in a PhD program at a Canadian educational institution and completed at least two years of study towards a PhD, or graduated from a Canadian PhD program within the past 12 months. In addition, applicants must not be recipients of an award requiring them to return to their home country following graduation.

A maximum of 1,000 applications under the PhD category will be considered for processing each year by the Government of Canada. The new cap year began on May 4, 2013, and will end on April 30, 2014.

The following are the new announcements on upcoming changes to the federal skilled worker program as of January 2013 for the eligibility criteria

The government is updating the FSWC by rebalancing the points among existing criteria, introducing mandatory language thresholds, requiring an educational credential assessment at the time of application if the educational credential submitted is from a foreign jurisdiction, streamlining the arranged employment process, and reducing the potential for fraudulent job offers under the Arranged Employment and other factors by introducing the followings:

• Introduce a new Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) to facilitate the immigration of certain skilled tradespersons in Canada, in response to labour market needs;

• Reduce the CEC work experience requirement to ease the transition to permanent residence of temporary skilled foreign workers who have demonstrated an ability to integrate into the Canadian labour market.
More details:

• Minimum language skills requirements, different between NOC level 0 and A , and the level B

• Increasing number of points for the first language (24 for IELTS level 9), and decreasing number of point for the second language

• Change in points for age (18 to 35 = 12 points, each year over, 1 point less)

• Change in points for experience - maximum 15 points for 6 years experience

• Mandatory foreign educational credential assessment with the application

• Change in points for education:

- 25 points for PhD only
- 23 for Master's level of professional degree
- 22 for two or more post-secondary credentials if one is a 3-year long credential
- 21 for one 3-year post-secondary credential;
- 19 for a 2-year post-secondary credential;
- 15 for a 1-year post-secondary credential;
- 5 points for secondary school.

• No AEO anymore - everybody has to get LMO; for permanent residence application, additional indeterminate job offer will be required.

• No points for spouse's education but 5 points for spouse's language skills at level CLB 4)

• 5 points for relative in Canada 18 years and older

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