Immigrating to Canada Without a Job Offer: What You Need to Know

Today’s Canadian immigration system is full of programs with at-times confusing points systems and constellations of different requirements. Many people interested in immigrating to Canada might wonder: is there any way for me to immigrate if I don’t have any Canadian work or study experience, or a job offer from an employer in Canada?

The good news is that, while the majority of immigration programs require either a job offer or work/study experience in Canada, there are still some pathways to immigration that do not require those.  One of these is the Express Entry – Federal Skilled Worker program.

What Is the Federal Skilled Worker Program?

The Federal Skilled Worker program operates through an online system called Express Entry, which broadly involves the registration of your personal profile in the system, which calculates a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on the sum of your relevant background such as:

• your age,
• study and work experience, and
• English/French language ability.

The system then issues you an invitation to apply to a specific immigration category, if your CRS score is high enough to meet the cut-off score for a current Express Entry invitation draw and if your background meets the minimum requirements of that immigration category.  To meet the minimum requirements for the Federal Skilled Worker category, you must:

• Have at least 1 year or 1,560 hours total (30 hours per week) of continuous work experience
  • Can be gained either inside Canada or outside Canada
  • Gained within the last 10 years
  • Must be paid work experience (not volunteer)
  • Must be skilled work experience, meaning it must be in an occupation falling under TEER categories: 0, 1, 2, or 3 under the National Occupation Classification (NOC) system
  • The 1 year of full-time or full-time equivalent work experience can be met several ways:
    • full time at 1 job: up to 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
    • equal amount in part-time work: for example, 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
      • Can be in as many different part-time jobs as you need to meet this requirement, as long as the jobs make up a continuous work period with no time gaps between jobs, and all the jobs fall under the same NOC occupation (same NOC code)
    • full time at more than 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months at more than 1 job at a time = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)

• Have approved language test scores in English or French of minimum CLB 7 in English or NCLC7 in French
  • The level 7 scores must be achieved in all 4 language abilities tested (writing, reading, listening, speaking)

• Have at least a high school graduation credential or higher, either from inside Canada or outside Canada
  • If your education credential is from outside Canada, you will need to get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) to determine what Canadian education level your foreign credential is equivalent to

• Have at least 67 points out of 100 in the Federal Skilled Worker Selection Factors. This score is different and separate from the Express Entry CRS score mentioned above, and is part of the minimum requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker category. This means that it is a “pass or fail” calculation, with 67 or over being a pass and under 67 being a fail for meeting the minimum requirements. The Selection Factors score is calculated based on your:
  • English or French language abilities
  • Education level
  • Skilled work experience (from inside or outside Canada)
  • Age
  • Job offer of at least 1 year from a Canadian employer, if you have one (it is possible to have at least 67 points without such a job offer)
  • Adaptability in Canada (which is based on a variety of factors including your spouse’s language abilities, whether you have relatives in Canada, your or your spouse’s past studies or work in Canada if any, and your job offer in Canada if any.)

• Have proof of funds that show that you have enough money for you and your family to settle in Canada, if you don’t have a job offer in Canada and are not currently authorized to legally work in Canada
  • How much money you need is updated yearly and depends on the size of your family. For example, as of the time of this article (May 2025), the minimum amount for a family of 4 (including yourself) is $27,297 CAD.
• Plan to live outside the province of Quebec. Quebec has its own selection process for skilled workers and does not use the Express Entry – Federal Skilled Workers category.

What If My Express Entry Score Is Too Low?

The Federal Skilled Worker category provides the clear advantage of not requiring a job offer or work experience/study experience in Canada to meet its minimum requirements, but interested applicants may still be concerned that their CRS score in the Express Entry system is not high enough for them to be invited to apply.  This is a common concern because recently, the draw scores in Express Entry have been relatively high. For example, as of the time of writing of this article, the most recent general draw which included the Federal Skilled Worker category had a minimum invitation score of 529.

Even with the generally high scores, there are still pathways to get an invitation to apply through special draws that are held periodically for candidates with certain characteristics or backgrounds that IRCC has decided are of importance to Canada at the time. Draw scores for these special draws are generally lower than those for standard draws. The most recent examples of these special draws are for those:

• With work experience in certain healthcare and social services occupations, such as Physicians, Dentists, Nurses, Massage Therapists, Paramedics, Midwives, Social Workers, etc.
• With work experience in certain educational occupations, such as Early Childhood Educators and Assistants, and Elementary and Secondary School Teachers and Assistants
• With a certain level of French language ability as demonstrated by an approved language test

The most recent draw scores for the above special categories were 510 for Healthcare and Social Services, 479 for Educational occupations, and 379 for French language proficiency, which are generally lower than for broader Express Entry draws.  Special categories change over time depending on the priorities of the government, and can be based on any number of different backgrounds and abilities.  In the past, special draws have also been held for tradespeople, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) occupations, transportation occupations, and agricultural occupations.

Get Help Navigating the Immigration System

Canada’s immigration system can be challenging to navigate on your own. An experienced immigration lawyer can help you:

• Understand what special draw categories exist

• Identify which categories you qualify under

• Improve your chances by strengthening your application

This is especially important for applicants immigrating to Canada without a job offer, since strategy and documentation become even more crucial.

You can immigrate to Canada without a job offer, but you will need to apply carefully and properly. Contact our immigration lawyers for help.