The Government of Canada has begun to release information on the number of applications that have been accepted for review under the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program. To view these numbers, which are updated regularly, please click here.

“After what was undoubtedly a huge initial rush of submissions, it appears that the staff at the Centralized Intake Office in Sydney, Nova Scotia is now beginning the work of processing all eligible applications,” said Attorney David Cohen. “Though the numbers we are seeing today appear low, it is likely that many more applications have been sent in and are waiting to be formally accepted for review.”

At the time of publication, a total of 157 applications have been accepted for review. The FSW program has instituted an overall intake cap of 25,000 applications, and has restricted eligibility to individuals with experience in one of 50 eligible occupations. No more than 1,000 applications will be accepted for any one eligible occupation.

Already, certain occupations are emerging as clear favorites amongst applicants. Thus far, Financial and Investment Analysts (NOC 1112) has received the most submissions, with 43 to date. However, it is followed closely by Computer Programmers and Interactive Media Developers (NOC 2174) as well as Software Engineers and Designers (NOC 2173).

With such preliminary statistics, it is unclear whether these occupations will be the first to meet the 1,000 application limit. However, past FSW application cycles have historically seen Information Technology and Financial occupations amongst the most popular for prospective immigrants. During last year’s cycle, they were among the first occupations to see their caps reached.

Last Chance to Apply

Beginning in January 2015, Canada will be transitioning to a new immigration intake system. The system, called Express Entry, will greatly change the way skilled workers will apply for Canadian immigration.

After the Express Entry system is implemented, individuals will no longer be able to apply directly to the FSW program. Instead, a prospective applicant will submit his or her intent to apply for immigration to an applicant pool. The Federal government, the provinces/territories and employers will all be able to select candidates from the larger pool and invite them to submit an immigration application.

Applying Today

The FSW program will be accepting applications until January 1, 2015, or until the overall cap of 25,000 is reached. However, many individuals will see their chance to apply slip away much sooner if their occupation is among the first to reach its intake limit.

Attorney David Cohen believes that, while all occupations appear to currently be open, some popular fields will fill up very quickly.

“There is no way of knowing exactly how many applications are waiting to be accepted for review at this time,” said Attorney Cohen. “However, what we do know is that the window to submit an application to the FSW program is still open. Anybody who is interested in applying should act immediately before that window is shut.”

As mentioned in the last edition of CIC News, some applicants may be able to submit multiple applications to the program, thus increasing their chances of being accepted for review.

To find out if you are eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker program, or any of over 60 Canadian immigration programs, please fill out a free online assessment today.