Work in Canada, immigrate through FSWP

Skilled foreign workers can immigrate to Canada via the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).  The candidates who attempt to immigrate via this program will have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer.

A valid job offer means an offer to a job that:

• Is in writing
• Is recent, i.e., offered within a year
• Has job details clearly set out like:
  • The duties to be performed
  • Pay and deductions
  • Conditions of employment like working hours
• Isn’t from an embassy, high commission, or consulate in Canada

The valid job offer must:

• Be for a continuous job
• Have one employer
• Have payment for work done
• Be for full-time work (minimum 30 hours a week) or an equal amount in part-time work
• Not be for a seasonal job
• Go on for a minimum of 1 year after the permanent resident visa is issued
• Be for a job that’s NOC skill type 0, A, or B

With a valid job offer, you can become eligible for immigration under the FSWP. It can also add to your total score.

FSW selection factors

The arranged employment on which the candidate immigrates to Canada adds 15 points to your total score. They add to the points earned on FSW selection factors that determine your eligibility for the FSWP, a skilled worker visa. The minimum number of points required to qualify for FSWP is 67.

If you score 67 or more points, you can submit your profile to the Express Entry system pool. Once in the Express Entry pool, a different ranking system will be applied to your profile.

You can score points for the following factors:

• Language skills – 28 points max
• Work experience – 15 points max
• Education – 25 points max
• Age – 12 points max
• Adaptability – 10 points max
• Arranged employment – 10 points max

If you want to immigrate to Canada under the FSWP, you must submit a completed Express Entry profile and be invited to apply.

Remember, a work permit can’t stand as a job offer, even in the case of an open work permit.

As a candidate, you must also produce proof of having enough money to support yourself and your family while settling in Canada. The only exceptions are if you:

• Currently can legally work in Canada
• Have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer

If you are immigrating to Canada via FSWP, you must plan to live outside the Canadian province of Quebec. The reason for this is that Quebec invites its own skilled foreign workers.

Unless you are immigrating to Canada after being provincially nominated, you are not obliged to settle in the province or region that you have planned to live in as expressed in the profile.

Above all, you have to be an admissible individual in Canada under the Canada immigration law. Your admissibility within the Canadian border will be decided by a Canadian immigration officer when you:

• Apply for an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) or a visa, or
• When you reach a port of entry