Visas & Advice Detail
Canadian Skilled Worker visa
The Canadian Skilled Worker visa is a popular way to emigrate to Canada, although recent changes have made the system faster (hooray) but tougher, too
Skilled Visas are issued to workers deemed to have the
ability to become economically established in Canada.
Important changes made to the Skilled Worker visa system last year affect all applications that were made after 27th February 2008.
There are now three ways in which your application will be
eligible for processing:
1) You have an offer of arranged employment; or
2) You are an international student, a temporary foreign worker, or you are a foreign national who has been living in Canada for one year; or
3) You have at least one year of experience in an occupation included on the high demand list.
In addition to these points, there are also a number of
minimum requirements that must be satisfied in order for the application to be processed. These requirements, related to work experience, are as follows:
- You need to have had at least one year of paid continuous employment, or the equivalent in part-time employment;
- This work experience must have been in the last ten years; and
- The work experience must be Skill Type 0 (Managerial Occupations) or Skill Level A (professional occupations) or Skill Level B (technical occupations and skilled trades).
All of the jobs and their classifications are listed on the National Occupation Classification list. If you fulfil these criteria, then a further six requirements are requested. These relate to: Education, languages, work experience, age, adaptability and financial means.
See below to find out how each of these factors are scored.
Education
Secondary school 5
One year diploma and 12 years education 12
One year diploma and 13 years education 15
One year bachelor degree and 13 years education 15
Two or more years at university and 14 years 20
Masters or PHD and 17 years of education 25
Languages
Basic to high English language skills Up to 16
Basic to high French language skills Up to 8
Work experience
More than one year 15
More than two years 17
More than three years 19
Four years or more 21
Age
Less than 17 0
17 2
18 4
19 6
20 8
21 – 49 10
50 8
51 6
52 4
53 2
Over 53 0
Arranged employment
Do you have an arranged job offer in Canada that is listed in Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B 10
No offer of arranged employment 0
Adaptability
If certain conditions are met, you can claim points for the following:
Spouse or common-law partner's level of education 0-5
Previous work in Canada 5
Previous study in Canada 5
Arranged Employment in Canada 5
Relatives in Canada 5
For further information:
Canadian High Commission London
Citizenship & Immigration Canada
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