Skilled workers are selected as permanent residents based on their education, work experience, knowledge of English and/or French, and other criteria that have been shown to help them become economically established in Canada. There are no fixed limits on the numbers of immigrants who may qualify each year for permanent residence under the Skilled Worker Class.

Federal skilled worker applications received on or after February 27, 2008 are now assessed for eligibility according to a set of instructions issued by the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism in late November, 2008. We must first determine that your application is eligible for processing (See Step 1 below). If you are eligible, we must then determine that you meet the other minimum requirements for the Skilled Worker Class (See Steps 2 and 3 below).

STEP 1.
According to the Minister’s instructions, your application is eligible for processing if:

• you have an offer of arranged employment, OR
• you are a foreign national who has been living legally in Canada for one year as a temporary foreign worker or an international student, OR
• you are a skilled worker who has at least one year of experience in one or more of the occupations listed below.

Occupations List (effective November 28, 2008)

0111: Financial Managers
0213: Computer and Information Systems Managers
0311: Managers in Health Care
0631: Restaurant and Food Service Managers
0632: Accommodation Service Managers
0711: Construction Managers
1111: Financial Auditors and Accountants
2113: Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists
2143: Mining Engineers
2144: Geological Engineers
2145: Petroleum Engineers
3111: Specialist Physicians
3112: General Practitioners and Family Physicians
3141: Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists
3143: Occupational Therapists
3142: Physiotherapists
3151: Head Nurses and Supervisors
3152: Registered Nurses
3215: Medical Radiation Technologists
3233: Licensed Practical Nurses
4121: University Professors
4131: College and Other Vocational Instructors
6241: Chefs
6242: Cooks
7213: Contractors and Supervisors, Pipefitting Trades
7215: Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
7217: Contractors and Supervisors, Heavy Construction Equipment Crews
7241: Electricians (Except Industrial and Power System)
7242: Industrial Electricians
7251: Plumbers
7252: Steamfitters, Pipe fitters and Sprinkler System Installers
7265: Welders and Related Machine Operators
7312: Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
7371: Crane Operators
7372: Drillers and Blasters – Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction
8221: Supervisors, Mining and Quarrying
8222: Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service
9212: Supervisors, Petroleum, Gas and Chemical Processing and Utilities

NOTE: the occupations above are all Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations) or Skill Level A (professional occupations) or B (technical occupations and skilled trades) on the Canadian National Occupational Classification list.

STEP 2.
According to the Minister's instructions, your application is eligible for processing if:

• you have at least one year of continuous full-time paid work experience or the equivalent in part-time continuous employment, AND
• your work experience must be Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations) or Skill Level A (professional occupations) or B (technical occupations and skilled trades) on the Canadian National Occupational Classification list, AND
• you must have had this experience within the last 10 years.

STEP 3.
If you meet these minimum requirements, your application will then be processed according to the six selection factors in the skilled worker points grid. The six selection factors are:

• your education
• your abilities in English and/or French, Canada’s two official languages
• your work experience
• your age
• whether you have arranged employment in Canada, and
• your adaptability.

You must also show that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada.

Once we determine that you are eligible to apply and meet the 3 step minimum requirements test described above, we must then determine that you will score sufficient points for application acceptance (67 points is the current pass mark).

If you are eligible to apply as a skilled worker, you will be assessed on six selection factors and a point system.

If you feel you qualify or have questions about your eligibility generally, please complete our on-line consultation form or contact us directly to arrange a free personal consultation with one of our representatives.

Applications for permanent residence in the Skilled Worker class must be filed with the local full-processing Canadian Consulate, Embassy or High Commission having jurisdiction over your country of residence. If an interview is required in your case, you will be required to attend the interview either at the post where your application was filed or at the nearest satellite office.

Your application should be carefully prepared and presented so as to ensure that it meets the strict new regulatory criteria. Visa officers may refuse applications without an interview in the event they determine that an application fails to meet the Skilled Worker selection criteria as filed.

Processing times vary widely throughout the world. At present, applications for permanent residence filed by Skilled Workers take between nine (9) and thirty-six (36) months depending upon where the application is filed. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has announced processing standards for Skilled Worker applications in the range of twelve (12) to eighteen (18) months. It is hoped that all posts, irrespective of their location, will soon be able to process Skilled Worker applications within twelve (12) to eighteen (18) months.

Yes. In all applications for permanent residence the principal applicant is permitted to include his or her legal dependents. The provisions of the IRPA permit applicants to include their legal spouses, common-law partners, same-sex partners, and children in their applications. Common-law and same-sex partners must be in a conjugal relationship with the principal applicant and must have lived together for at least one (1) year. Children are eligible as dependents provided they are under age twenty-two (22) and unmarried or, if over twenty-two (22), have been enrolled as full-time post-secondary students since attaining the age of twenty-two (22). In addition, children over age twenty-two (22) who suffer from a physical or mental condition and depend on their parents financially may also be included in the application.

The current government filing fees for Skilled Worker cases are $550 CAD for the principal applicant, $550 CAD for a spouse, common-law partner or child over age twenty-two (22), and $150 CAD for children under age twenty-two (22). In addition to these filing fees, all applicants over age 22 must pay a "Right of Permanent Residence Fee" to the government in the amount of $975 CAD following approval of their applications.

Please complete our On-line Consultation Form for a free assessment of your credentials. We will try to complete our assessment and respond to you by e-mail within forty-eight (48) hours of receiving your information.