To be able to apply under the Foreign Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) you must meet the PhD Students FSWP Application Requirements by being either:

• an international student enrolled in a PhD program in Canada who:
  • has finished at least two years of study toward a PhD,
  • is in good academic standing at the time you apply, and
  • did not get an award that requires you to return to your home country to apply your knowledge and skills.

OR

• a graduate of a PhD program in Canada who:
  • graduated no more than 12 months before the date we get your application, and
  • did not get an award which required you to return to your home country to apply your knowledge and skills (or did, but have already met the terms of the award).

PhD applicants must meet the same minimum requirements as any other FSWP applicant. You must:

• include the results of your official language test showing that you meet the minimum language threshold (Canadian Language Benchmark 7) in all four language skill areas (speaking, listening, reading and writing) when you apply, and
• include either a completed Canadian educational credential or a completed foreign educational credential with an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from an approved organization, and
• have at least one year of continuous full-time (or an equal amount in continuous part-time) paid work experience, within the last ten years, in the primary occupation you state in your application.

CIC will not consider any more than 1,000 applications for processing each year in the PhD stream. These applications will not be included in the total for any other cap. We will consider applications in the order we get them.