Independant/Skilled Workers

Permanent Residence in Canada

IMPORTANT Changes to Skilled Worker Program Announced November 28, 2008.

In order to expedite backlog processing, some restrictions have been placed on Skilled Worker program applications. Some applications will not be processed.

Unless you have an offer of arranged employment; or you have already been living legally in Canada for one year as a temporary foreign worker or international student, you must have at least one year of continuous full-time or equivalent paid work experience in the past 10 years in one of 38 specific high-demand occupations.

This category is designed for individuals who will immigrate to Canada on the basis of their own personal credentials. To qualify for this category, applicants are assessed on a number of different "factors" about their personal circumstances and are awarded "points" for each factor. How many points do you need to qualify? The answer is 67. What are the factors that give you these points?

How Many Points Do YOU Get?

Calculating your points can be somewhat complicated. It is more than just a matter of adding up the scores. It is NOT recommended that you rely on your own assessment. There are many legal issues involved in the proper calculation of immigration points that must be taken into consideration when adding up your score. A thorough understanding of Canadian immigration law is required to accurately assess whether you have enough points to immigrate. It is recommended that you get a professional assessment to accurately calculate your score.

Here are some tips to get you started to give you a just an idea of what score you are likely to get.

Note that to qualify under the Skilled Worker Class, you will have to have at least one (1) year of full-time (37.5 hours per week or more) work experience within the past ten (10) years in one of the occupations listed in either Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). The NOC was developed by Human Resources Development Canada to be a systematic cataloging of occupations in the Canadian labour market. The NOC is divided into five (5) bands:

Subject to certain limited exceptions, only experience in Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A and B are considered relevant for applicants in the Independent/Skilled Worker Class.

If you have at least one year of work experience within the last ten years in occupations listed under Skill Type O, A or B, you then have to be assessed according to various selection criteria by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Applicants must attain a minimum score of sixty-seven (67) points overall in order to be eligible to become permanent residents of Canada.

It is important to note that if an applicant scores below sixty-seven (67) points, he/she may still be approved in cases where the immigration officer assessing the case exercises positive discretion in the applicant's favour. The Immigration Regulations permits an immigration officer to exercise positive discretion in such a case, if the officer is of the opinion that it is likely that the applicant will economically establish himself/herself in Canada. Beware however, that the Immigration Regulations gives an immigration officer the power to exercise negative discretion in cases where the applicant scores 67 points or above if the officer forms the opinion that the applicant will unlikely economically establish himself/herself in Canada.