Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) 

The FSW program sets certain minimum requirements to ensure you’re on the right track:

• Skilled Work Experience: Your work experience should align with the National Occupational Classification (NOC) categories, such as NOC 0, 1, 2, or 3. During this period, your duties must align with the NOC’s job description, covering essential and most main duties.

• Duration: Your skilled work experience must span at least one year or accumulate a total of 1,560 hours (equivalent to 30 hours per week) within the last decade, whether in Canada or abroad. Don’t forget, that this work must be paid (volunteer work and unpaid internships are excluded).

• Flexibility: Part-time work can also count, with the flexibility to work more or less than 15 hours per week as long as it adds up to the required 1,560 hours. You can even combine part-time jobs to meet this criterion.

• Student Work Experience: If you’ve gained work experience while studying, it may contribute to your minimum requirements as long as it aligns with specific criteria, including continuous paid employment.

• Language Ability: You’ll need to prove your language proficiency in English or French, by taking approved language tests in the four crucial areas: writing, reading, listening, and speaking. Meeting the minimum score in all four abilities is essential, and the test results must be entered in your Express Entry profile.

• Education: If you studied in Canada, ensure you possess a certificate, diploma, or degree from a Canadian secondary or post-secondary institution. For foreign education, you’ll need a completed educational credential and an Educational Credential Assessment from a designated organization, proving your educational equivalence to a Canadian certificate, diploma, or degree.