Check your eligibility for Canada PR through FSWP

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act [S.C. 2001, c. 27] defines a permanent resident of Canada as “a person who has acquired permanent resident status and has not subsequently lost that status under Section 46”.

Put simply, a permanent resident or PR of Canada is a person who despite having legally migrated to Canada, is not yet a citizen of Canada.

Skilled workers that wish to take up permanent residency in Canada will have to proceed through the Express Entry System. Launched on January 1, 2015, Express Entry is an online system used by the government of Canada for managing applications for permanent residence submitted by skilled workers.

An EE profile is valid for 12 months.

With a profile in the Express Entry pool, an applicant can migrate to Canada permanently as a skilled worker under 3 programs –

1. Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
2. Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
3. Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

[Note. You cannot apply directly for any of these programs. Applications can be submitted only after receiving an invitation to apply from the Canadian government.]

Do keep in mind that if you are interested in migrating to Quebec as a skilled worker, you will have to apply under the separate category of Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP).

Eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) under the Express Entry system is determined on the basis of points that you score across 6 selection factors.

The 6 selection factors for checking eligibility for FSWP are –

Sl. No.	Selection Factor	Maximum Points Awarded
1	Language skills	28
2	Education	25
3	Work Experience	15
4	Age	12
5	Arranged Employment in Canada	10
6	Adaptability	10

After an assessment of the 6 individual factors, an overall score is assigned out of 100.

You can qualify for the FSWP if you score 67 or higher.

If you do not score 67 points on the eligibility calculator, you can improve your score by securing arranged employment in Canada. You can also work on your language skills.

Now, let us see each of the individual factors.

1. Language

English and French are the official languages in Canada. You can get a maximum of 28 points for your language skills in English and French based on your ability to – read, write, listen, and speak – the language.

Under the language criteria, you get points as per –

	Maximum Points Awarded
First official language	24
Second official language	4

For availing marks under this criterion, you must take any of the approved language tests as a proof of your skills in the language.

The approved languages tests are –

Test	Language Tested
IELTS: International English Language Testing System [Note. Appear for the General option. IELTS – Academic is NOT accepted for EE.]	English
CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program [Note. Appear for the CELPIP – General. CELPIP General-LS is NOT accepted for EE.]	English
TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français	French
TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du français	French

IMPORTANT

• Language test results have to be entered into your EE profile.
• If invited to apply, the test results will have to be included with the application.
• Your application will not be processed if the language test results are not included with your application.
• Do not ask for your language test results to be sent directly. Include with your complete application.
• Original test results might be asked for later on in the processing. Keep the original test safely.
• Test results must not be more than 2 years old, both at the time of the creation of your EE profile as well as when applying for permanent residence.
• If your test results are due to expire soon, it is advisable to re-take the test and update your EE profile accordingly.

2. Education

You can get a maximum of 25 points for Education.

Schooling in Canada	Certificate / diploma /degree from a Canadian §  secondary institution (high school), or §  post-secondary institution
Foreign education	Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) required from a specifically designated organization, such as the World Education Services (WES). [Note. - Do keep in mind that the ECA should be for immigration purposes.]

For skilled workers with foreign education, the points to be awarded will be determined by the Canadian equivalency according to the ECA. For example –

Bachelor’s Degree	21 points
Master of Business Administration	23 points

3. Work Experience

To claim points under this criterion, you should have spent a stipulated amount of time working, in a paid capacity – either full-time at least 30 hours in a week, or part-time 15 hours in a week (for 24 months) – at Skill Type 0, or Skill Levels A or B as per the National Occupational Classification (NOC), 2016 version.

The NOC is a compiled list of all occupations in the Canadian labour market. The main job groups under the NOC for immigration purposes are –

	Type of Jobs
Skill Type 0 (zero)	Management
Skill Level A	Professional
Skill Level B	Technical
Skill Level C	Intermediate
Skill Level D	Labour

Based on your number of years of experience, you can claim the following points –

Experience	Points
1 year	9
2-3 years	11
4-5 years	13
6 or more years	15

IMPORTANT

• Each job has a unique NOC Code.
• The NOC code describes the skills, work setting, duties and talents required.
• You can claim points for work experience if the general description and list of main duties associated with the particular NOC Code match what you previously did at your job/jobs.

4. Age

You will get the following points for your age –

Age	Points
Under 18	0
18 to 35	12
36	11
37	10
38	9
39	8
40	7
41	6
42	5
43	4
44	3
45	2
46	1
47 and above	0

IMPORTANT

• Points will be given based on your age on the day that your application is submitted to the EE pool.

5. Arranged employment in Canada

Arranged Employment in Canada

10

IMPORTANT

To claim points under this criterion, you must –

• Have a job offer for a minimum of 1 year from a Canadian employer.
• You should get the job offer before applying to migrate to Canada as a skilled worker.
• Job offer should be for full-time [minimum 30 hours in a week], paid, and continuous work.
• Should not be for seasonal work.
• Listed under NOC as Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B.

Do keep in mind that to get 10 points, there are certain other conditions that you must fulfil.

6. Adaptability

By ‘adaptability’ is implied the likelihood of you and your spouse successfully settling down in Canada.

You, along with your spouse or common-law partner immigrating with you to Canada, will get points for your adaptability as per –

Your spouse / partner’s language level in English / French at least CLB 4 or higher in all 4 abilities – speaking, listening, reading and writing.	5
Your past studies in Canada You have completed a minimum of 2 academic years of full-time study (in a program at least 2 years in duration) at a secondary or post-secondary school in Canada.	5
Your spouse / partner’s previous studies in Canada Your spouse / partner successfully completed a minimum of 2 academic years of full-time study (in a program at least 2 years in duration) at a secondary / post-secondary school in Canada.	5
Your past work in Canada You did at least 1 year of full-time work in Canada: 1.      In a job listed in Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A or B of the NOC; and 2.      With either work authorization or a valid permit to work in Canada.	10
Your spouse / partner’s past work in Canada Your spouse / partner did a minimum of 1-year full-time work in Canada on work authorization or valid work permit.	5
Arranged employment in Canada You have already secured points for having arranged employment.	5
Relatives in Canada You, or your spouse / partner, have a relative who is: ·         living in Canada ·         18 years or older and ·         Canadian citizen or permanent resident	5

With arranged employment in Canada, you will earn a total of 15 points – 10 for arranged employment on its own, and another 5 for adaptability.

While a job offer is not mandatory for submitting your profile to the Express Entry pool, a valid job offer in Canada can make a difference to your eligibility points calculation.

Do keep in mind that once your profile is in the EE pool, it will be ranked against other profiles on the basis of the Comprehensive Ranking System [CRS]. Eligibility points and CRS scores are entirely different and should not be confused with each other.

While you have to score 67 out of 100 to be eligible for applying for Canadian permanent residency through the FSWP, the higher you score on the CRS, the sooner you will be invited to apply for Canadian permanent residency.

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