Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
Federal Skilled Worker Program or FSWP is one of the federal immigration programs that are managed by the flagship program of the Canadian government for the highly skilled immigrants - Express Entry Program. Professionals and skilled workers who have work experience in their respective work of fields and want to settle in Canada permanently apply under this program. The other two federal economic immigration programs are:
Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
How to apply for the Federal Skilled Worker Program
Federal Skilled Worker Program - FSWP is a point-based program where candidates awarded Canada PR points based on the candidate’s credentials like age, education, work experience, language proficiency, adaptability, and arranged employment.
Candidates who want to apply for FSWP need to apply via the express entry program. In order to become eligible for the federal immigration program, candidates need to score a minimum of 67 points in the FSWP point-assessment grid
Once the candidate is able to score 67 points and meet the minimum requirements of the program, they are allowed to create an express profile and submit their credentials. Based on the credentials, candidates are given a CRS score and their profiles are ranked in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Higher ranked profiles are then given an Invitation to Apply (ITA) to apply for a permanent residence visa to Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
What is the eligibility for Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)?
Once the candidate scored a minimum of 67 points, they need to meet the following minimum requirements to become eligible for Canada PR Visa:
Need to have minimum work experience of one year continuous full-time or equivalent paid work experience in the past 10 years in an occupation that is categorized under NOC skill level O, A or B.
Must prove their language proficiency in English or French by a recognized educational institution by the Canadian government like International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is for the English language with minimum CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark) level 7.
Point grid for Federal Skilled Worker Program
There are total of six factors that are considered under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). Those factors are as follows:
Language Ability (Max 28 points)
Maximum 24 points are awarded for the first official language and further 4 points on the second official language. Additional 5 points are also awarded if the spouse or common-law partner also proved their language proficiency. IELTS is for the candidates who have to prove their language proficiency in the English language and TEF is for the French language.
First Official Language
Second Official Language
Educational Qualification (Max 25 points)
Work Experience (Max 15 points)
Age (Max 12 points)
Arranged Employment (Max 10 points)
Candidates are awarded a maximum of 10 points under this category if they are able to one of the following conditions If:
The candidate is currently working in Canada on a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) based work permit in a skilled occupation.
The candidate is currently working in Canada on an LMIA-exempt work permit or a work permit issued under a provincial/territorial agreement.
The candidate holds a valid Canadian work permit or is otherwise authorized to work in Canada.
Adaptability (Max 10 points)
Candidates can get max 10 points if their families’ members are able to become established in Canada from an economic and social point of view. Following table shows how the points are awarded:
Now if the candidates who have applied under the FSWP program are migrating without a job-offer they need to provide proof of funds. An applicant without any family members needs to show funds of at least CAD $12,300. Following table shows how the number of accompanying family members required funds: