The effective changes in the program are as such:
1) a modification in the occupations that are currently accessible under the program
2) the formation of a boundary on the number of applications which will be taken into consideration by Canadian Immigration Visa Offices, and
3) a modification in the documentation needed for an application procedure
Under these new instructions, a candidate is qualified to go ahead only if the applicant:
● Has work experience. One year of work experience is mandatory. Any work experience would work, full-time or part-time. It should be paid.
● Is eligible for Arranged Employment with a full-time permanent job offer from a Canadian employer.
Applicants who had been qualified earlier as they have been living in Canada with legal status would not be getting the eligibility under the Federal Skilled Worker program. However, they may still meet the eligibility criteria of the Canadian Experience Class program.
The previous list of 38 qualifying occupations has been revised to add 11 new jobs with the removal of 20 previous jobs.
The newly added jobs are as such:
● Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture)
● Professional jobs in the field of Business Services and Management
● Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners
● Biologists and Related Scientists
● Architects
● Dentists
● Pharmacists
● Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists
● Psychologists
● Social Workers
● Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades
The following jobs are still on the list:
● Restaurant and Food Service Managers
● Specialists in clinical medicine
● General practitioners and family physicians
● Physiotherapists
● General duty registered nurses
● Radiological technologists
● Licensed practical nurses
● Chefs
● Cooks
● Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
● Electricians (Except Industrial & Power System)
● Industrial Electricians
● Plumbers
● Welders & Related Machine Operators
● Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
● Crane Operators
● Jobs of mining and construction. For example, working as drillers and blasters.
● Oil and gas drilling jobs
For those skilled workers who apply under the occupation list, the government will put a boundary on the number of applications that are taken into consideration for processing to 20,000 total per year. Within the 20,000 limits, the highest of 1,000 applications per occupation will be measured. This limit is not applicable on candidates having a job offer.
The authority for the changes, known as ministerial instructions, comes from changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act approved by Parliament in 2008 as a major part of the Action Plan for Faster Immigration.
The instructions are meant as an adaptable tool to permit the government to keep the intake of applications for economic immigration in line with the number and types of jobs there in Canada, and also helps to reduce application backlogs and processing times.
It has been brought forward that new rules help the fastest and most organized applicants. The truth of these new rules and formulations is that the candidates have to try only once to get their application accepted. If an application has even a tiny error, it risks being returned without processing, and by the time that error is fixed, the odds of the occupation category being closed are that much greater.
The new rules and the closure of some of the Federal Skilled Worker occupations do not aim to discourage capable immigrants from considering Canada as a destination.
Attorney Cohen urges potential immigrants by saying that there are only 60 immigration programs to choose from presently and if this one does not work as an option, then please look forward to more to apply and keep exploring the ways to immigrate to Canada.
