Federal Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (Federal EMPP): Assessing the application against economic program selection criteria

This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.

Once the applicant has been positively assessed against the public policy to support the Federal Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (Federal EMPP) criteria, decision makers should proceed to assessing the application against the economic program selection criteria of the stream under which the applicant has applied.

Applicants must meet all of the criteria to be approved for eligibility.

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Section 1. Public policy eligibility criteria applicable to the principal applicant

The principal applicant must satisfy the decision maker that they meet all of the criteria for the stream they are applying under to be approved.

A. Stream A – Applications with a job offer

Principal applicant job offer criteria

The principal applicant has a job offer at the time of their application for permanent residence is received that is:

  1. full-time, meaning at least 30 hours of work over a period of one week and non-seasonal;
  2. for at least one year after the date on which a permanent resident visa is issued;
  3. for an occupation listed in TEER Category 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 of the National Occupation Classification

Note: The principal applicant will be required to provide the Offer of Employment to a Foreign National-Federal EMPP Form. The form will include details on the business, employer, the job offer, and employee.

Principal applicant work experience criteria

The principal applicant has accumulated, over any period of time, work experience that:

  1. equals to at least one year of full-time paid work experience (1,560 hours), or the equivalent in paid part-time work experience, that meets the definition of work under subsection 73(2) of the Regulations;
  2. is obtained in at least one of the occupations that are listed in TEER Category 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 of the National Occupational Classification.

Additional considerations with respect to evidentiary requirements for work experience

Due to their circumstances of displacement, EMPP applicants may not have access to documentation that would normally be required of economic applicants. Decision makers should explore other evidentiary proof that can be substituted for standard requirements to prove work experience and other conditions. Some examples used to assess work experience include:

  • hiring contracts
  • the candidate’s curriculum vitae
  • chronological employment and address histories provided on their forms (such as Schedule 1)
  • online bank statements showing regular pay deposits for the period of qualifying work experience
  • statutory declarations about the work experience
  • email communication between the candidate and the employer
  • foreign tax statements
  • correspondence between their education credential and work experience
  • open source verifications of the company
  • interview questions related to duties performed for qualifying work experience
  • other evidence

If decision makers require additional assistance on what evidentiary proof is accepted, please contact the Immigration Program Guidance mailbox.

Principal applicant education criteria

The principal applicant has acquired training, education, or experience that aligns with the TEER Category of the job offer, meaning that candidates with job offers in TEER 0 or TEER 5 do not need to meet specific education requirements, but must demonstrate their ability to perform the duties of the job, and:

  1. for job offers in TEER 1: the applicant must have completed a university credential (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate) or have at least one year of previous experience in a related TEER 2 occupation;
  2. for job offers in TEER 2: completion of a post-secondary education program of two to three years at community college, institute of technology or CÉGEP or completion of an apprenticeship training program of two to five years or occupations with supervisory or significant safety (e.g. police officers and firefighters) responsibilities or have at least one year of previous experience in a related occupation from TEER 3 (if there is no mandatory education component in the employment requirements section of the occupation for the job offer, as described in the National Occupation Classification);
  3. for job offers in TEER 3: completion of a post-secondary education program of less than two years at community college, institute of technology or CÉGEP or completion of an apprenticeship training program of less than two years or more than six months of on-the-job training, training courses or specific work experience with some secondary school education or have at least one year of previous experience in a related occupation from TEER 4 (if there is no mandatory education component in the employment requirements section of the occupation for the job offer, as described in the National Occupation Classification); and
  4. for job offers in TEER 4: completion of secondary school or several weeks of on-the-job training with some secondary school education or have at least one year of previous experience from TEER 5 (if there is no mandatory education component in the employment requirements section of the occupation for the job offer, as described in the National Occupation Classification);

Additional considerations with respect to evidentiary requirements for education criteria

Due to their circumstances of displacement, EMPP applicants may not have access to documentation needed to obtain an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). Decision makers should explore other evidentiary proof that can be substituted for standard education requirements for applicants applying under the Federal EMPP Job Offer stream (Stream A). Some examples used to assess education criteria may include:

  • A scanned copy of both sides of the final award (degree/diploma certificate) in its original language.
  • A scanned copy of both sides of the academic record (transcripts/mark sheets) in its original language.
  • An accompanying word-for-word translation of all documents not in English or French completed by a certified professional translator.

Supplemented by originals or copies of at least one of the following documents issued by an institution:

  • Transcript / Mark Sheet / Statement of Mark
  • Professional Licence / Certificate
  • Other officially issued documents (such as letter of appointment, membership in recognized professional association or certification body, student ID card, etc.)
  • A scanned copy of a government issued identification (ID) showing date of birth.

If decision makers require additional assistance on what evidentiary proof is accepted, please contact the Immigration Program Guidance mailbox.

Principal applicant language criteria

The principal applicant has attained a level of proficiency of at least benchmark 5 for job offers in TEER Category 0, 1, 2 and 3 or benchmark 4 for job offers in TEER Category 4 or 5 in either official language for each of the four language skill areas, as set out in the Canadian Language Benchmarks or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens. This must be demonstrated by the results of an evaluation by an organization or institution designated by the Minister for the purpose of evaluating language proficiency under subsection 74(3) of the Regulations; and the evaluation must be less than two (2) years old when the permanent residence application is received.

B. Stream B – Applications without a job offer

Principal applicant work experience criteria

The principal applicant has work experience that:

  1. equals to at least one year of full-time paid work experience (1,560 hours), or the equivalent in paid part-time work experience that meets the definition of work under subsection 73(2) of the Regulations;
  2. has been acquired over the last three years before the application for permanent residence was received;
  3. is obtained in at least one of the occupations that are listed in TEER Category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification; and
  4. does not include any period of self-employment.

Principal applicant education criteria

The principal applicant holds a Canadian secondary school credential or a foreign diploma, certificate or credential supported by a Canadian equivalency assessment as per subsection 73(1) of the Regulations which is no more than five (5) years old on the date the application for permanent residence was received.

Principal applicant language criteria

The principal applicant has attained a level of proficiency of at least benchmark 7 in either official language for each of the four language skill areas, as set out in the Canadian Language Benchmarks or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens. This must be demonstrated by the results of an evaluation by an organization or institution designated by the Minister for the purpose of evaluating language proficiency under subsection 74(3) of the Regulations; and the evaluation must be less than two (2) years old when the permanent residence application is received.

Note: Language testing results and Educational Credential Assessments (ECA) may not be substituted as these are provided for under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) and Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

Principal applicant settlement funds criteria

The principal applicant has, in the form of transferable and available funds, unencumbered by debts or other obligations, an amount equal to one half of the amount identified, in the most recent edition of the publication concerning low-income cut-offs published annually by Statistics Canada under the Statistics Act, for urban areas of residence of 500,000 persons or more, as the minimum amount of before-tax annual income that is necessary to support a group of persons equal in number to the total number of the foreign national (principal applicant) and their family members.

Section 2. Public policy eligibility criteria applicable to the principal applicants’ family members

Based on public policy considerations, when processing an application for a permanent resident visa, delegated officers may grant an exemption from the requirements of the Act and the Regulations identified below when a foreign national meets the following conditions:
The foreign national:

  1. has been included as an accompanying family member in an application for a permanent resident visa by a principal applicant seeking exemptions under Part 3 of the Federal EMPP public policy and a delegated officer has determined that the principal applicant meets all conditions (eligibility requirements) in Part 1 of the Federal EMPP public policy;
  2. resided outside Canada at the time of the principal applicant’s submission of a permanent resident application; and
  3. meets the definition of family member in subsection 1(3) of the Regulations.
Section 3. Applicable requirements of the provisions of the Act and the Regulations, for which an exemption may be granted to foreign nationals who meet the requirements of Sections 1 or 2, above
  1. Paragraph 10(1)(d) of the Regulations – the requirement to provide evidence of payment of the applicable fees with respect to the permanent residence visa application;
  2. Paragraph 10(2)(c) of the Regulations – the requirement to indicate the class prescribed by these Regulations for which the application is made;
  3. Paragraph 70(1)(a) of the Regulations – the requirement to apply for a permanent resident visa as a member of a class referred to in subsection 70(2) of the Regulations;
  4. Paragraph 70(1)(c) of the Regulations – the requirement to be a member of an immigration class;
  5. Paragraph 70(1)(d) of the Regulations – the requirement to meet the selection criteria and other requirements applicable to that class;
  6. Paragraph 295(1)(c) of the Regulations – the permanent resident visa application processing fee;
  7. Subsection 315.1(1) of the Regulations – the fee for the provision of services in relation to the collection of biometric information; and
  8. The requirement of paragraph 20(1)(a) and subsection 21(1) of the Act, as well as subsection 50(1) of the Regulations – that a foreign national seeking to become a permanent resident must hold one of the documents identified under subsection 50(1) of the Regulations.

Additional considerations with respect to evidentiary requirements for work experience (applicable to all Federal EMPP applicants)

Due to their circumstances of displacement, Federal EMPP applicants may not have access to documentation that would normally be required of economic applicants. Decision makers should explore other evidentiary proof that can be substituted for standard requirements to prove work experience and other conditions. Some examples used to assess work experience:

Note: Self-employment is not eligible past work experience for applicants applying under the Federal EMPP No Job Offer Stream.

If decision makers require additional assistance on what evidentiary proof is accepted, please contact the Immigration Program Guidance mailbox.

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