Who is a federal skilled worker?

We have been returning fees paid to the Department for Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) applications affected by the backlog elimination announced in 2012.

If you applied to the FSW program before February 27, 2008, and have not heard from us about whether a decision has been made based on the assessment of your application, you may be affected by this law. Please see how you can get your fee returned – archived.

Skilled workers are chosen as permanent residents based on their education, work experience, knowledge of English and/or French, and other factors. These things often help them succeed in Canada.

Since January 1, 2015, completing an Express Entry profile is the first step in immigrating to Canada permanently as a skilled worker under the:

Under the Express Entry system, we will invite people to apply for permanent residence based on the information they enter in an online profile. You cannot apply directly to any of these programs unless we send you an invitation to apply.

Skilled workers who want to live in Quebec apply under a separate category. The province of Quebec selects its own skilled workers. Applicants who intend to go to Quebec are known as “Quebec-selected” skilled workers.