This program is for qualified workers with foreign work experience who wish to permanently immigrate to Canada. It is a federal program and one of three programs managed by the Express Entry online application system.
Its minimum eligibility requirements are based on qualified professional experience (inside or outside Canada) and a proven language level of CLB 7. In this way, the minimum requirements can allow for additional points to the applicant’s profile when improved, such as:
Academic background – depending on background, additional points may be added to a specific profile;
Amount of professional experience outside and inside Canada;
Age (the younger the applicant, the more points they receive);
Language (the more advanced, the more points they receive);
Whether the applicant has a valid job offer.
If the applicant’s profile has the minimum score to be eligible for the program, it will enter the
“Express Entry pool”. The profiles with the highest scores according to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) will be invited to apply for Permanent Residency and submit supporting documents to be assessed by Canadian immigration officials. To understand how the points calculator works, click here.
In the CRS points calculator, age is an important factor for the Federal Skilled Worker program. The maximum score for this is given to people aged between 20 and 29 years. After that, the applicant loses 5 points with each birthday and at age 45 he no longer scores in the age category.
In the language requirement section, the person who has knowledge of English and French will have more points than those who only know one language. The language level according to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) is proven by the language proficiency test authorized by the government.
When addressing education-level scores, it is important to consider that academic experiences in higher education in Canada add points and that higher education courses taken outside Canada are also valid, provided they are attested by the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for immigration purposes. The higher the applicant’s education level, the more points he will receive.
An interesting fact regarding education is that an applicant who has a bachelor’s degree in certain disciplines may gain the same amount of points as those who complete a Master’s degree, as they can be considered “professional degrees”. To be considered, these courses must be in the following fields: Medicine, Veterinary, Dentistry; Podiatry; Optometry; Advocacy; Chiropractic and Pharmacy. In addition, the applicant only obtains a higher score if certified by the ECA, following the institution’s guidelines.
In the professional experience category, the longer the amount time of qualified professional experience within Canada someone has, the more points they will receive for their profile. The minimum amount of time for eligible experience is one year of full-time work (or equivalent time in part-time work, such as 2 years part-time).
In addition, qualified professional experience obtained in other countries also adds points and the maximum score goes to those who have three years of work experience. Experience outside Canada must be proven by a letter with a stamp and signature from the employing company. For qualified professional experience, professions must be considered equivalent to NOCs 0, A or B. The NOC is a National Occupational Classification, that is, the classification of qualification levels for professional occupations. To find your NOC, click here.
If you are preparing to apply through this immigration program you can strengthen your profile by improving your English and / or French skills, completing additional academic training with higher education levels (ie, master’s, doctorate) or getting a job offer in Canada. To find out if you already have the profile to immigrate through this or other programs, contact us at: info@gonorthsa.com
