Selection factors: federal skilled workers

cic.gc.ca /english/immigrate/skilled/apply-factors.asp

Express Entry candidates are scored using the Comprehensive Ranking System. If your skills and experience
qualify you as a federal skilled worker, we will also assess you on six selection factors.

If you score 67 points or higher (out of 100) , you may qualify to immigrate to Canada as a federal skilled
worker.

If you score lower than the pass mark of 67 points, you wont qualify to immigrate to Canada as a federal
skilled worker.

Point grids for each factor:

Language skills

(Maximum 28 points)

Being able to communicate and work in one or both of Canadas official languages is very important. Knowing
English, French or both helps you in the Canadian job market.

You can get up to 28 points for your skills in English and French. Well give you points based on your ability to:

write
read
listen
speak

Language testing

You must take an approved language test to prove your language levels.

To measure your English or French levels, we use:

Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English

Niveaux de comptence linguistique canadien (NCLC) for French

You must get a minimum level of CLB 7 or NCLC 7 for your first official language in all four language areas. To
get points for your second official language, you must meet the minimum level of CLB 5 or NCLC 5 in all four
language areas.

You won't get accepted into the Express Entry pool or be eligible to apply if you don't include test results
for either English or French. Your results must also show you meet the required level.

If you want to get points for your skills in both English and French, you must provide your language test results
for each language in your Express Entry profile.

Once you take the test, you can use it to see exactly how many points we'll give you for the language selection
factor.

Find out more about language testing and how to get it.

Calculate your language points

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First official language (Maximum 24 points)

Check the table below and add the points that matches your skill level:

Points

First Official Language Speaking Listening Reading Writing

CLB level 9 or higher 6 6 6 6

CLB level 8 5 5 5 5

CLB level 7 4 4 4 4

Below CLB level 7 Not eligible to apply

Second official language (Maximum 4 points)

You can get four points only if you have a score of at least CLB 5 in each of the four language abilities.

Second Official Language Points

At least CLB5 in all of the four abilities 4

CLB 4 or less in any of the four abilities 0

Education

(Maximum 25 points)

To get points for your education:

If you went to school in Canada, you must have a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:

secondary (high school) or

post-secondary school

If you have foreign education, you must have:

an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from an approved agency showing that your foreign
education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:

secondary (high school) or

post-secondary school

You must include your Canadian credential or your foreign credential and Educational Credential Assessment
(ECA) report when you apply.

Education Maximum 25 points

University degree at the Doctoral (PhD) level or equal 25 points

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 Education Maximum 25 points

University degree at the Masters level or equal OR University level entry-to-practice 23 points
professional degree (or equal). Occupation related to the degree must be:

NOC 2011 Skill Level A, and

licensed by a provincial regulatory body

Note: Degree program must be in one of these fields of study: Medicine, Veterinary
Medicine, Dentistry, Podiatry, Optometry, Law, Chiropractic Medicine, or Pharmacy.
Two or more Canadian post-secondary degrees or diplomas or equal (at least one 22 points
must be for a program of at least three years)

Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma for a program of three years or longer, or 21 points
equal

Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma for a two-year program, or equal 19 points

Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma for a one-year program, or equal 15 points

Canadian high school diploma, or equal 5 points

Experience

(Maximum 15 points)

You can get points for the number of years youve spent in full-time paid work (at least 30 hours per week, or an
equal amount of part-time).

National Occupational Classification (NOC)

The NOC is a system used to classify jobs in the Canadian economy. It describes duties, skills, talents and work
settings for different jobs. We use the 2011 edition of the NOC to assess skilled worker applications.

Finding your NOC category

This job code is referred to as a "NOC code" in your Express Entry profile. Find your NOC to find the
information that best matches each of your past jobs.

Youll need this information again, so make sure to save it with the other papers you need, such as your
passport.

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

Use this chart to find the number of points 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 12 points)

Youll get points based on your age on the day when we get your application.

Age Points

Under 18 0

18-35 12

36 11

37 10

38 9

39 8

40 7

41 6

42 5

43 4

44 3

45 2

46 1

47 and older 0

Arranged employment in Canada

(Maximum 10 points)

You can get points if you have a, full-time job offer of at least one year from a Canadian employer. You must get
the job offer before you apply to come to Canada as a federal skilled worker.

A valid job offer has to be:

for continuous, paid, full-time work that is:

not seasonal
for at least one year

in an occupation listed as Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B of the NOC.

You can get 10 points for a valid job offer. To be valid, one of these cases must apply:

1. You currently work in Canada on a temporary work permit and

your work permit is valid both when you apply and when the visa is issued (or youre authorized to
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 work in Canada without a work permit when your visa is issued)
we issued your work permit based on a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Your employer wouldve applied for the
LMIA, which you then had to attach to your application to us
youre working for an employer named on your work permit who has made a permanent job offer
based on you being accepted as a skilled worker

2. You currently work in Canada in a job that is exempt from the LMIA requirement under:

an international agreement (such as, the North America Free Trade Agreement) or
a federal-provincial agreement and

your work permit is valid both when you apply and when the visa is issued (or youre
authorized to work in Canada without a permit when your visa is issued)
your current employer has made a permanent job offer based on you being accepted as a
skilled worker

3. You currently dont:

have a work permit, or

plan to work in Canada before you get a permanent resident visa

OR

youre currently working in Canada and a different employer has offered to give you a permanent
full-time job

OR

youre currently working in Canada in a job that is exempt from a Labour Market Impact
Assessment, but not under an international or federal-provincial agreement

AND

an employer has:

made you a permanent job offer based on you being accepted as a skilled worker and
a positive LMIA from ESDC

Note:

You can't get a LMIA from ESDC (your employer must do this for you)
ESDC will only confirm permanent job offers for occupations listed in skill type O or skill level A or B of the
NOC
A IRCC officer must be convinced that youre able to do the job offered to you

if the occupation is regulated in Canada, the officer must also be convinced that youll be able to
become licensed or certified when in Canada

Adaptability

(Maximum 10 points)

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If you have a spouse or commonlaw partner who will immigrate with you to Canada, they can earn points
for adaptability too. You can only get points for each item once.

The maximum number of points in this section is 10.

Maximum
Adaptability 10 points

Your spouse or partners language level 5

Your spouse or common-law partner has a language level in either English or French at CLB 4
level or higher in all four language abilities (speaking, listening, reading and writing).

To get these points, you must submit test results from an approved agency when you apply.
Results can't be more than two years old on the day you apply.

Your past study in Canada 5

You finished at least two academic years of full-time study (in a program at least two years long)
at a secondary or post-secondary school in Canada.

Full-time study means at least 15 hours of classes per week, and you must have stayed in good
academic standing (as set out by the school) during that time.

Your spouse or partners past study in Canada 5

Your spouse or common-law partner finished at least two academic years of full-time study (in a
program at least two years long) at a secondary or post-secondary school in Canada.

Full-time study means at least 15 hours of classes per week, and your spouse or partner must
have stayed in good academic standing (as set out by the school) during that time.

Your past work in Canada 10

You did at least one year of full-time work in Canada:

1. in a job listed in Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A or B of the National Occupational

Classification (NOC), and
2. with a valid work permit or while authorized to work in Canada

Your spouse or common-law partners past work in Canada 5

Your spouse / partner did at least one year of full-time work in Canada on a valid work permit or
while authorized to work in Canada.

Arranged Employment in Canada 5

You earned points under Factor 5: Arranged Employment.

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 Maximum
Adaptability 10 points

Relatives in Canada 5
You, or if it applies, your spouse or common-law partner, have a relative:

living in Canada
18 years or older and
a Canadian citizen or permanent resident

This relative must be a:

parent
grandparent
child
grandchild
child of a parent (sibling)
child of a grandparent (aunt or uncle)
grandchild of a parent (niece or nephew)

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