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The Canadian government was the pioneer in the concept of giving point-based scores to Skilled Worker applicants to determine who should be awarded visas each year. The scheme has proved popular and useful, and is now in use in Australia, the UK and New Zealand.

To get a Skilled Worker visa, which is essentially a permanent residency and pathway to Canadian citizenship, you must meet certain criteria. The government looks at six factors to determine your score:

• Work experience

• Education

• English or French language ability

• Age

• Adaptability to live in Canada

• Arranged employment in Canada

The most important of these factors is your occupation, what you are qualified to do and what you plan to do for work in Canada. Immigration officials look closely at your higher education, special skills training, employment history and other related experiences to determine your score. You will get even more points if you already have a job lined up in Canada that has been approved by the Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), which means you have “arranged employment”.

You need at least 67 points to qualify for consideration. Your education can earn up to 25 points, with a master's degree or PhD plus 17 years of full time study the highest tally. A bachelor's degree plus 15 years of full time study is worth 22 points, while a high school diploma is the lowest level at just 5 points.

Language skills are worth 24 points total. Points are awarded for proficiency in speaking, listening, writing and reading English and French, the two official languages in Canada. Scoring is based on high, moderate or basic levels of proficiency in each of the four categories. Only one language is needed for the assessment. You can prove your language skills by either taking the government-approved exam or providing written documentation to support your language abilities.

Work experience is worth 21 points, and you must have more than one year of work-related experience in one of the occupations listed under the National Occupations List (NOC). This list covers 29 work fields where skilled workers are needed in Canada. If you don't have any experience in one of these fields, then you cannot get approved for the visa. Four or more years of work experience in one of these fields will earn you the maximum 21 points.

Your age is also worth 10 points. The ideal age Canada wants is between 21 and 49 years old. If you are 20 years old you get 8 points. If you are 50 years old you get 8 points, and so on. Arranged employment in Canada is worth 10 points, and despite the low point tally is arguably the most important factor to getting approved. This shows immigration that an approved job has already been offered to you, which implies you have met all the other requirements for this visa.