Ottawa, April 18, 2013 —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 today.
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.
Minimum Language Threshold
All prospective applicants to the FSWP should first determine whether they meet the new minimum language threshold: Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 7 in all four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).
Arranged Employment
Starting on May 4, 2013, CIC will no longer accept AEOs in support of an FSWP application. Instead, most offers of arranged employment will require a Labour Market Opinion.
