2. Am I required to have a certain amount
of assets?
Skilled Worker
applicants will generally be required to prove that they have
settlement funds sufficient for themselves and any accompanying
dependents. They are expected to be able to support the landed
family (the principal applicant and all accompanying dependents)
until employment is obtained.
3. Will my application
benefit if I have a close relative in Canada?
Skilled Worker
applicants will be awarded bonus points if the close relative
is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and over the age
of 19 years. The applicant is then referred to as an "assisted
relative". To qualify as a close relative, the Canadian
citizen or permanent resident must be the applicant's uncle,
aunt, brother, sister, parent, nephew or niece.
4. Is work experience a requirement?
Work experience
is a critical requirement for a Skilled Worker immigrant. Applicants
must be able to demonstrate at least one year's work experience
in an occupation appearing on the General Occupations List.
Applicants destined
to the Province of Quebec need only demonstrate several months
of relevant work experience.
Applicants with
arranged employment in Canada are exempt from the work experience
requirement.
5. Must the experience have been accumulated
on a full-time basis? Must it have been accumulated continuously?
Part-time work
experience is acceptable. It is assessed in proportion to a
standard full-time working week. For example, a two-year part-time
position requiring approximately 20 hours of work each week,
will be counted as one year of full-time experience.
Non-consecutive
work experience in positions involving the same duties may also
be counted, if the total work experience meets the minimum experience
requirements.
6. How is experience in a previous or
current occupation evaluated when that occupation differs from
the applicant's education?
Under the present
selection criteria, such experience is fully counted towards
the assessment of the applicant's work experience.
7. Is credit given for experience gained
during post-secondary studies?
Yes, as long as
the experience gained at that time is consistent with the definition
of an occupation appearing on the General Occupations List,
it can be counted in the assessment of work experience.
8. Must I have a Canadian offer of employment
to qualify as a Skilled Worker?
You are not required
to obtain an offer of an employment to qualify as a Skilled
Worker.
9. Can I apply if I do not yet have the
required minimum work experience?
Applicants without
one year of work experience in an "open" occupation
(6 months for applicants destined to Quebec or Manitoba) are
required to demonstrate arranged employment.