Canada Immigration: Open to 25,000 this year

Canada has announced it will accept applications of 25,000 skilled workers under this year's Federal Skilled Worker Programme (FSWP); five times more the number than last year’s programme.

The news, which was announced last week by the Government of Canada, was received with excitement by immigration lawyers all over the world, as the programme is the most popular route for aspirant immigrants to make the move to Canada.

As anticipation over the extension of the programme would do little to confirm the existence of the programme after its deadline on April 30, the announcement came as a relief for immigrant aspirants who missed the chance to apply this year.

On May 1, the new programme will take effect, with a total of 50 occupations on the Occupation List, according to which immigration aspirants must apply. A threshold of 1,000 applications per category has been set, a major increase in comparison to the previous 300 intake cap on the 24 occupation categories on the list.

Among the new occupations that have been added on the list are doctors, nurses, computer technicians, financial managers,  auditors and accountants, information system analysts, database analysts, software engineers, mechanical engineering technologists and technicians, electrical engineering technologists and technicians and university professors and lecturers.

At the same time, some occupations have been removed from the list, such as engineering managers, chemical engineers, computer engineers, medical laboratory technologists, cardiology technicians and others.

[Click here for the complete list]

The criteria for the FSWP have remained the same. In order to qualify as a candidate for any of the categories, one must have at least one year of continuous full-time paid work experience in an eligible occupation in the last 10 years. This experience must be demonstrated.

Further, the applicant must demonstrate a level of language proficiency in English or French. In order to demonstrate language ability, a test score must be provided with the application. These test scores must be derived from certain language testing systems, and meet the standards set by the CIC.

Finally, the applicant must meet or exceed a 67-points threshold based on factors such as education, age, language skills, work experience, and adaptability. For a more detailed explanation of the criteria, click here

In addition to skilled workers, the FSW programme includes streams for PhD holders and individuals who have received eligible job offers from Canadian employers. A maximum of 500 PhD applicants will be accepted under the upcoming programme. Applicants who hold valid job offers are not subject to any intake caps.

Due to popularity certain occupation thresholds are known to be met in a matter of days. Therefore, applicants are recommended to prepare their applications as soon as possible, and submit them as early as they can.

 

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