The Federal Skilled Worker Program is designed to bring in immigrants with the skills and experience needed by the Canadian labour market. But, what are the six selection factors that make you eligible?

There are six selection factors that are considered when assessing whether or not an applicant is eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. These factors are; education, work experience, language ability, age, arranged employment in Canada, and adaptability.

Applicants must meet the minimum requirements in each of these areas in order to be considered for the program.

IRCC will review your selection factors, and then give you a total score out of 100.

If you score 67 or more, you may be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

So, what are the six selection factors?

Table of contents

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Education

Maximum points: 25

If you attended school in Canada, you will need to provide proof of completing a study program by submitting a certificate, diploma, or degree from a Canadian:

  • secondary institution (high school) or
  • post-secondary institution

If you completed a study program in a country outside of Canada, you must provide an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA):

  • A designated organization can issue an ECA report that proves your international education is equal to a certificate, diploma, or degree from a Canadian:
  • secondary institution (high school) or
  • post-secondary institution

When applying, be sure to include your Canadian credential or foreign credential along with your Educational Credential Assessment report.

Find out your education points and from the drop-down, select the Federal Skilled Worker Program factor points.

Language Ability

Maximum points: 28

It’s very important to be able to communicate in English and/or French as these are both Canada’s official languages. Being bilingual is an asset in the Canadian job market.

You could receive up to 28 points for your language skills in both English and French. You will be rewarded points based on how well you can:

  • write
  • read
  • listen
  • speak

How do I take a language test

To prove your language skills, you must take an approved language test. IRCC uses the following tests to assess your English or French proficiency:

  • Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English
  • Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for French

You must meet the following requirements in all four language abilities for your first official language:

  • a minimum CLB 7 (English), or
  • NCLC 7 (French)

To earn points for the second official language, you must fulfil the CLB’s or NCLC’s minimum level of attainment in all four language areas, which is currently a level 5.

If you can not communicate to the appropriate level in either language, you are not eligible to apply to come to Canada as a Federal Skilled Worker.

After you’ve taken the language test, you may use your results to see exactly how many points you will obtain for your language selection factor.

You may need to check the language test equivalency chart to summarize equivalencies between the Canadian Language Benchmarks (for English), Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (for French) and language test results from designated testing organizations.

Add the points that match your skill level to the table below:

First official language (maximum 24 points)

First official language Speaking Listening Reading Writing
CLB level 9 or higher 6 666
CLB level 8 5555
CLB level 7 4444
Below CLB level 7 Not eligible to apply Not eligible to apply Not eligible to apply Not eligible to apply

Second official language (maximum 4 points)

4 points are available only if you achieve a CLB 5 in each of the four language abilities.

Second official language Points
At least CLB 5 in all of the 4 abilities 4
CLB 4 or less in any of the 4 abilities 0

Work Experience

Maximum points: 15

You may earn credit for the years you’ve worked full-time (at least 30 hours per week, or an equal amount of part-time [15 hours per week for 24 months] for at least 30 months), at skill type 0 or Skill Levels A or B based on the 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC).

If your work experience is deemed acceptable, it will qualify for the selection factor points if your work experience was completed:

  • in Canada or abroad
  • while you were studying
  • while being self-employed

What is my NOC code?

The NOC is a list of all the jobs in Canada’s labour market and is utilized to categorize the employment sector in Canada. It covers responsibilities, skills, talents, and work environments for various occupations.

For each job that you wish to include in your Express Entry profile, you must figure out the NOC code that best matches each of your past jobs.

If the description and list of main duties match what you did at your job(s), you can count this experience for points.

Use the table below to find the number of points earned based on your number of years of experience.

Experience Maximum 15 points
1 year 9
2-3 years 11
4-5 years 13
6 or more years 15
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Age

Maximum points: 12

The amount of points you receive for your age will be based off the day we receive your application.

The table below illustrates how many points you will be awarded based on your age.

AgePoints
Under 18 0
18-35 12
36 11
37 10
389
398
407
416
425
434
443
452
461
47 and older 0

Adaptability

Maximum points: 10

If you and your spouse or common-law partner are planning on moving to Canada, you both can earn points for adaptability by combining any of the following components. The following 7 components evaluate how well you and your spouse are likely to settle in Canada.

  • Your spouse or partner’s language level
  • Your past studies in Canada
  • Your spouse or partner’s past work in Canada
Adaptability Maximum 10 points
Your spouse or partner’s language level5
Your past studies in Canada
5
Your spouse or partner’s past studies in Canada5
Your past work in Canada
10
Your spouse or common-law partner’s past work in Canada
5
Arranged employment in Canada
5
Relatives in Canada
5

Arranged Employment in Canada

Maximum points: 10

If you have an offer of employment for at least one year from a Canadian employer, you may earn the maximum amount of points. If you wish to declare points under this Selection Factor, you must first accept a valid job offer before you submit your application to come to Canada under the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

In order for a job offer to be valid to be able to work in Canada, it needs to meet the following criteria:

  • continuous, paid, full-time work (minimum of 30 hours/week) that is:
    • not seasonal
    • for at least 1 year
  • The occupation must be registered as a Skill Type 0, Level A, or B according to the NOC.

The IRCC needs to be confident that:

  • You will be able to perform the duties outlined in the job description
  • When you're in Canada, you'll be able to get your license or accreditation if the job is regulated

If you have 67 points you are eligible

If you have over 67 points you are eligible to apply for the Federal Skilled worker program under Express Entry.

To see how many points you have to enter the pool check the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) tool.

There are Express Entry rounds every second Wednesday. You can the latest draw score here.

If you would like some assistance to see if you meet the six selection factors, or help with your Express Entry application get in touch.