Federal Skilled Trades

The Federal Skilled Trades Program is for people who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade.

Requirements

If you would like to apply under the Federal skilled Trades Program, you must:

plan to live outside the province of Quebec (Note: The province of Quebec has its own programs.),
meet the required levels in English or French for each language ability (speaking, reading, writing and listening),
have at least two years of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience)^* in a skilled trade within the five years before you apply,
meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC), except for needing a certificate of qualification, and
have an offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least one year^** or a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial or territorial authority.***

Selection Criteria

Federal skilled trades applicants are assessed according to different factors:

Skilled work experience in one of the following groups of the National Occupational Classification: Industrial, electrical and construction trades; maintenance and equipment operation trades; supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture and related production; processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators; chefs and cooks; butchers and bakers. The applicant must show that he did the essential duties and most of the main duties listed in NOC description.

Education: Although there is no education requirement for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. But, if you want to earn points for your education under Express Entry, you either need : a Canadian post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree; or a completed foreign credential of at least a completed Canadian secondary (high school), and an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from an agency approved by CIC.

Language ability: You must meet the minimum language level in English or French of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 for speaking and listening, and Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 for reading and writing. You must also take a language test approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) that shows you meet the level for speaking, listening, reading and writing. Your test results must not be more than two years old on the day you apply for permanent residence.

Other Requirements

You must be admissible to Canada.
You must plan to live outside the province of Quebec.

Provincial or Territorial Assessment

You will likely have to go to the province or territory to be assessed. You may also need an employer in Canada to give you experience and training.

Each province/territory has a specific body that governs each type of trade and the asessment process is different depending on where you want to go.

To find more details about whether you need a certificate of qualification to work in that province or territory in a specific skilled trade, and what you have to do to get one you can check the below provinces and territories.

If you are an eligible candidate under this program, please fill up the free assessment form or contact us.