Canada’s Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) could be facing regulatory changes if proposals from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) are implemented.
The points based system has always aimed to introduce skilled immigrants into the Canadian job market but the CIC’s proposals aim to whittle down the applicants to just those who have the skills which are in demand.
The proposed updates are a result of an intensive analysis and evaluation period which investigated the skills and qualifications of those individuals that were deemed successful in their pursuit of Canadian employment following their immigration.
Changes proposed include making being able to speak the language the highest weighted selection criteria. If implemented, there will be a shift towards younger immigrants as they are able to build greater work experience and will stay in the workforce for the longest period. Extra points will also be granted if applicants have already completed some work experience in Canada either on a working holiday or on another short term visa.
The FSWP program will also take the language skills of the spouse of the applicant into consideration because the results of the evaluation discovered that if both partners have the minimum required language skills then the transition to Canadian life is usually far more successful.
Currently there is a pause on new applications (unless you already have an offer of employment), by the CIC’s proposed changes are likely to come into effect in early 2013 when the program opens again. These changes will increase the effectiveness of the CIC’s procedures meaning applicants that can demonstrate their relevant experience and language skills should see the application going through faster than ever.
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