Canada launched the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) in 1967 to select immigrants from all over the world. Prior to the introduction of the FSWP, Canada selected skilled worker immigrants subjectively, based on the discretion of individual immigration officers who made a judgment call on whether they thought a candidate could integrate into the Canadian job market.

The Canadian government realized this old approach was problematic and so it introduced the world’s first points system to select immigrants. No longer would Canada use subjective criteria. Instead, it decided to use objective criteria to evaluate all candidates the same way: based on each candidate’s age, education, language skills, work experience, occupation, among other factors.

The benefits of the FSWP

Today, the FSWP is managed through the Express Entry application management system. Under Express Entry, Canada aims to welcome an average of 110,000 immigrants per year. Most successful Express Entry candidates immigrate to Canada through the FSWP. Research by the Canadian government shows that FSWP immigrants go on to have successful and fulfilling careers in Canada.

In addition, pursuing immigration through the FSWP is beneficial since you can gain permanent residence within six months, compared with longer processing times for Canada’s other skilled worker programs.