The revamped federal skilled worker program is set to open on May 4, 2013, and the new eligible occupations list has just been released.

The skilled worker program selects immigrants based on the premise that they’ll be able to succeed economically in Canada, which is why Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is basing acceptance on this list of in-demand jobs.

The eligible occupations are as follows (with their corresponding 2011 National Occupation Classification code):

0211 Engineering managers
1112 Financial and investment analysts
2113 Geoscientists and oceanographers
2131 Civil engineers
2132 Mechanical engineers
2134 Chemical engineers
2143 Mining engineers
2144 Geological engineers
2145 Petroleum engineers
2146 Aerospace engineers
2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers/designers)
2154 Land surveyors
2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers
2243 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
2263 Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety
3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
3142 Physiotherapists
3143 Occupational Therapists
3211 Medical laboratory technologists
3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants
3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
3215 Medical radiation technologists
3216 Medical sonographers
3217 Cardiology technicians and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c. (not elsewhere classified)
The eligible occupations stream will have an overall cap of 5,000 new applications and sub-caps of 300 applications in each of the 24 occupations on the list.

While CIC will not be accepting applications for the 24 eligible occupations until May 4, there are some new requirements that applicants can start preparing for, such as language tests and foreign educational credential assessments. The complete application process will be available on CIC’s website by May 4.

All individuals who are considering applying on or after May 4 should be aware that if their application does not meet the new criteria, it will not be processed. A prospective applicant should ensure they meet at least one of the following requirements:

They have at least one year of continuous work experience in one of the 24 eligible occupations.
They have a qualifying offer of arranged employment (most now needing a labour market opinion).
They are eligible to apply through the PhD stream.
If prospective applicants are confident that they meet at least one of the above requirements, they must also meet the minimum language threshold and obtain an educational credential assessment (if submitting a foreign educational credential).
http://canadianimmigrant.ca/news-and-views/24-eligible-occupations-for-fsw-program-announced

Damn!Canada is not smiling...