The 20,000 Limit: Federal Skilled Workers applications are starting to add up

On June 26, 2010, the Government of Canada placed a limit on the number of Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) applications it will process before June 30, 2011. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will process applications up to a maximum of 20,000. The limit does not apply to those applications with a job offer from a Canadian employer. To qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker category of immigration without a Canadian job offer, the principal applicant must have worked for at least one year in the past 10 years in one of the 29 listed occupations. Moreover, a maximum of 1,000 applications will be considered under any one of these eligible occupations.

For the first time last week, CIC released an update on the number of complete applications received for processing under the FSW category.

     Total applications received toward to overall cap of 20,000:
     2,785 as of October 27, 2010

To view the number of applications received by CIC for each of the 29 occupations, click here.

These numbers will be updated on a frequent basis according to data released by CIC.

Because application intake fluctuates, these figures are meant as a guideline only.

Attorney David Cohen offers the following advice, "Be quick with your application, or risk losing your opportunity of qualifying for a permanent resident visa under the Federal Skilled Worker category."

There are many other ways to qualify for Canadian Permanent Residency, primarily through provincial nomination programs or under the Quebec Skilled Worker category. The provinces, especially the province of Quebec, still believe in the human capital model, in which one's total background is given greater importance than their experience in a particular occupation. According to Attorney David Cohen, "All it may take is a willingness to learn a little French."