Canada's Federal Skilled Worker occupation cap is filling up - Apply now!

Canada's Federal Skilled Worker visa program is filling up quickly. Those looking to emigrate should consider the Federal Skilled Worker program. This skilled immigration program is for people in a range of different occupations.

If you have skills and experience in occupations listed on the Priority Occupation List under the Canadian skilled worker visa category you will not need sponsorship by an employer. However there are only 15 remaining occupations that you can come under without a job offer.

In order to be eligible for the Canadian Federal Skilled Worker program you must:

• have a valid offer of arranged employment, or
• have one year of continuous full-time paid work experience in at least one of the occupations listed on the Priority Occupation List, or
• be an international student enrolled in a PhD program in Canada (or graduated from a Canadian PhD program within the past 12 months) and meet certain criteria.

Between 1 July 2011, and 30 June 2012, a maximum of 10,000 complete Federal Skilled Worker applications will be considered for processing. This means there is a cap of 500 Federal Skilled Worker applications per eligible occupation. As of 8 May 2012, the following occupations are still available for applications:

Occupation	Number of visas remaining
Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture)	288
Physiotherapists	44
Medical Radiation Technologists	380
Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists	419
Psychologists	221
Chefs	219
Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades	246
Electricians (Except Industrial and Power System)	195
Industrial Electricians	155
Plumbers	400
Welders and Related Machine Operators	395
Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics	411
Crane Operators	478
Drillers and Blasters – Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction	480
Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service	288

Skilled workers who meet the visa program's requirements which includes the requirement that you have at least one year of continuous full-time or equivalent part-time paid work experience within the last ten years can apply for a visa under the Federal Skilled Worker program. Applicants also need to pass the official language proficiency test in order to apply.

If you come under one of these occupations and gain enough points under the skilled worker visa category you should be able to emigrate to Canada. You can still apply under the Federal Skilled Worker visa even if your occupation is not on the list so long as your employer can prove that they cannot find a citizen or permanent resident in Canada to do the job.

However, if your occupation is listed on the Priority Occupation List, you are eligible for skilled migration to Canada without needing to have a job offer from a Canadian employer. In addition, processing times are quite quick; You may be able to gain entry to Canada within months of beginning the application process.

Once your application is submitted to Canadian Immigration and Citizenship, it will be processed according to the six selection factors in the skilled worker points grid, which are:

• your education
• your abilities in English and/or French
• your work experience
• your age
• whether you have arranged employment in Canada, and
• your adaptability

After 30 June 2012, it is not known which occupations will still be on the Priority Occupation list so if you are eligible for one of the previously mentioned occupations, you should apply for a visa as soon as possible.

Study Migrate offers a variety of programmes in Canada. Please visit our Canadian page for more information: http://www.studymigrate.com/canada.html