Ottawa unveils list of jobs eligible under revamped skilled-worker program

OTTAWA – Foreign engineers, computer programmers and physiotherapists are among those who will qualify for a revamped federal skilled-worker program when it re-opens next month.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has released its eligible occupations list and named four organizations that will assess the credentials of applicants who studied outside of Canada.

These assessments are now mandatory and must be done before applications to the skilled-worker program are submitted.

Ottawa is also limiting the total number of applications to 5,000 — including caps in each of the 24 eligible occupations.

The government stopped accepting new applications under the skilled worker program last July in advance of rejigging the system.

That followed a decision announced in the 2012 budget to wipe out an existing backlog in the program by returning thousands of applications.

The program will re-open May 4 with the new changes in effect.