Federal Skilled Trades Program

This program is meant for all the skilled workers who have proper foreign work experience and wish to immigrate to Canada permanently.

Minimum Requirements

To be eligible for this program, you should:

  1. Fulfill all the necessary language levels for each language ability in terms of writing, listening, reading, and speaking.
  2. Possess a minimum of 2 years of full-time work experience or even an equal amount of part-time work experience in one of the skilled trades in the last 5 years before the application
  3. Meet with the job requirements for the specific skilled trade as pointed out in the National Occupational Classification, except when you need a certificate of qualification
  4. Have a proper full-time employment job offer for a minimum of 1 year or have a certificate of qualification in that specific skilled trade that should be issued by Canadian federal, provincial, or territorial authority.

Language Ability

You will have to:

  • Fulfill the minimum Canadian Language Benchmark score of 5 for listening and speaking, and Canadian Language Benchmark of 4 for writing and reading
  • Take approved assessments for writing, reading, listening, speaking
  • Include your assessment results in your Express Entry profile

Skilled Work Experience

All the skilled trades for the Federal Skilled Trades Program have been categorized under the following NOC groups. These groups are:

  1. Industrial, electrical and construction trades (Major Group 72)
  2. Equipment and maintenance operation trades (Major Group 73)
  3. Technical jobs and supervisors in agriculture, natural resources, and any other related production (Major Group 82)
  4. Manufacturing, processing, and utility supervisors and central control operators (Major Group 92)
  5. Cooks and chefs (Major Group 632)
  6. Bakers and butchers (Major Group 633)

If you fail to provide evidence that states your experience meets the NOC’s description, your application will be rejected. It is also essential to understand that your work experience will only count after you have successfully qualified to practice the occupation independently.

Education

For the Federal Skilled Trades Program, there is no education requirement. However, if you wish to improve your ranking in the pool of Express Entry, there are 2 solutions.

  1. If you had attended school in Canada, you would be eligible for additional points if you provide a degree, certificate, or a diploma from a Canadian high school or post-secondary institution.
  2. If you had attended school in some foreign country, you would be eligible for additional points for a completed education credential, if you have an ECA or Educational Credential Assessment report for immigration from any designated organization proving that your education is equal to a completed certificate, degree, or diploma from a Canadian high school or post-secondary institution.