Skilled workers are people whose education and work experience will help them find work and make a home for themselves as permanent residents in Canada.   Successful applicants in this class will be selected primarily as the result of their ability to make a significant contribution to the economic, cultural and social fabric of Canada. Skilled workers who are well educated, well trained and have at least one year of actual work experience will have the greatest likelihood of obtaining the necessary points to gain permanent residence in Canada.

Requirements

To be accepted as a Skilled Worker, applicants must:

1. You must meet the minimum work experience requirements;

a.       You must have at least one year of full-time paid  work experience. 

b.       Your work experience must be in the category of Skill Type 0, or Skill Level A or B on the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC). The NOC is a classification system for jobs in the Canadian economy. It describes duties, skills, talents and work settings for occupations.

c.       You must have had this experience within the last 10 years.

You do not meet the minimum requirements if:

a.       none of your work experience is listed in the NOC list;

b.       your experience did not occur in the 10 years before you applied; or

c.       your only work experience is in a restricted occupation.  Check the list of restricted occupations. If your work experience is in a restricted occupation then you cannot use it to qualify for the Skilled Worker category. There are no restricted occupations on the list at this time.

If you do not meet the minimum work experience requirements, your application as a Skilled Worker will be refused.

2. Prove that you have the funds required for settlement; and

As the Canadian government does not provide financial support to new skilled worker immigrants, the  skilled worker must prove sufficient money to support the skilled worker and dependants after arrival in Canada.  Proof of the funds must be provided when the application for immigration is submitted. The amount of money needed to support a family is determined by the size of the family.

The skilled worker does not have to prove these funds if he or she has arranged employment in Canada.

3.       Earn sufficient  points in the six selection factors to meet the pass mark.

If you applied on or after January 1, 2002 and did not receive a selection decision by June 28, 2002 when the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act came into effect, your application will be evaluated under the new criteria with a pass mark of 75.

Even if you obtain or surpass the pass mark relevant to you, a visa officer will still need to assess your application and will make the final selection decision.  If you score less than the pass mark, you may not qualify to become a permanent resident through the skilled worker selection system. In all cases, a visa officer's assessment of the number of points will prevail. You will need to provide evidence to support your application as well as pass medical and security checks before receiving your permanent resident visa. No record will be kept of this self-assessment.

There are six (6) factors that determine your pass mark under the skilled worker selection criteria: