As CIC explains, if you’re hoping to become a permanent resident through the Federal Skilled Workers Program, you must first meet the minimum requirements for work experience, language ability, and education. Work experience must be a year of full-time or equivalent part-time paid work in the same job within the last 10 years, and the job must be of skill type 0 or skill levels A or B of the 2011 National Occupational Classification. The language requirements include proof of Canadian Language Benchmark 7 in the form of CIC-approved language test results from within the last two years. For education, applicants need either a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, or a completed foreign credential and an assessment of that credential from a CIC-approved agency that shows that the completed education is equivalent to a comparable Canadian credential.

According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, skilled workers for the Federal Skilled Trades Program must fulfill minimum work experience and language ability requirements.

Work experience must include at least two years of full-time work experience (or equivalent part-time work experience) within the last five years in a skilled trade. Applicants must also show that they have experience performing the duties for an eligible skilled trade outlined by the National Occupation Classification (NOC) in Major Group 72, 72, 82, or 92, or Minor Group 632 or 633.

Language ability scores can be lower than those for the skilled workers program: Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for speaking and listening, and Canadian Language Benchmark 4 for reading and writing. Satisfactory results from a CIC-approved language test are also required.

Applicants must also have either an offer of full-time employment for a full year minimum or be certified in their skilled trade by a Canadian provincial or territorial authority. Individual provinces /territories have specific requirements regarding trades qualifications and the process for assessment, so finding out how the program works in the province/territory where you wish to live is important.

To be eligible under the Canada Experience Class, CEC specifies that you must meet the minimum work experience and language ability requirements.

Minimum work experience is 12 months of skilled work experience (or equivalent part-time) in Canada, with the proper authorisation, within the three years prior to applying for CEC. This work must fit the requirements of the National Occupation Classification for one of the following: managerial jobs (NOC skill level 0), professional jobs (NOC skill type A), or technical jobs and skilled trades (NOC skill type B). The applicant must also be able to demonstrate that their work experience includes having fulfilled the duties detailed by the NOC.

Minimum language levels are Canadian Language Benchmark 7 for NOC 0 or A jobs or Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for NOC B jobs, with results proven by a CIC-approved language test.

Candidates who are eligible for the Express Entry Canada program can complete an online profile which will include various details about themselves, including their skills, their language ability, education and previous work experience, among others. Candidates who successfully meet the criteria of one or more of the federal economic immigration programs under Express Entry will then be sorted into a pool of eligible individuals. These individuals will be ranked according to their chances of economic success, and the highest ranking candidates, along with those who have qualifying offers of employment or provincial/territorial nominations (who will automatically receive high rankings), will receive a formal invitation to apply for permanent residency. This way of doing things will allow Canada to pick the best possible candidates who are likely to go on to achieve success, rather than simply picking whoever is next in line. Candidates who do not have a valid job offer or provincial/territorial nomination must sign up to the Government’s of Canada’s Job Bank, so that he or she can be connected to relevant Canadian employers. Eligible employers will need to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment via Employment and Social Development Canada for permanent residence applications. There is no guarantee that candidates who fill out an Express Entry profile will be invited to apply for permanent residence, as this will mainly be determined by their ranking and the other factors mentioned above (offer of employment, provincial/territorial nomination).

The Government will invite successful candidates and permanent residency will be processed within 6 months. Those ranking highly in the pool (based on skills, experience, eligible job offers and relevant nominations where applicable) will then be invited to apply for permanent residency through an ITA (Invitation to Apply), and will have a total of 60 days to submit their electronic application. Electronic applications will be required to be submitted through one of the below programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Most applications will be pushed through swiftly by CIC, with many expected to be completed within six months. Candidates who have applied for the Express Entry Canada program but who are not invited to apply for permanent residency after a year may then resubmit their profile and re-enter the pool, provided they are still eligible for the program. This is to prevent backlogs and allow for quicker processing and turnaround times. According to CIC, the Express Entry program will allow faster and more efficient immigration services to skilled immigrants. The program will also enable the Canadian Government to respond faster to Canada’s evolving economic conditions and changing priorities, and will increase flexibility