Federal Skill Trader Program

Federal Skilled Trades Program (Express Entry)

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

Minimum requirements

To be eligible, you must

• meet the required language levelsfor each language ability

• have at least 2 yearsof full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in a skilled trade within the 5 yearsbefore you apply
• Meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification, except for needing a certificate of qualification.
• Have a valid job offer of full-time employmentfor a total period of at least 1 yearor certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority

 Skilled work experience

Skilled trades for the Federal Skilled Trades Program are organized under these groups of the National Occupational Classification (NOC):

• Major Group 72, industrial, electrical and construction trades
• Major Group 73, maintenance and equipment operation trades
• Major Group 82, supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture and related production
• Major Group 92, processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators
• Minor Group 632, chefs and cooks
• Minor Group 633, butchers and bakers

The major NOC groups are subdivided into different occupations, and they are all skill type B.

You must show that you performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

If you don’t show that your experience meets the description in the NOC, we’ll refuse your application.

Education

There is no education requirement for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. But, if you want to improve your rank in the Express Entry pool, there are 2 ways you can do this.

• If you went to school in Canada, you can get points for a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
  • secondary institution (high school) or
  • post-secondary institution

or

• If you have foreign education, you can get points for a completed educational credential, if you have an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for immigration purposes from a designated organization showing that your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
  • secondary institution (high school) or
  • post-secondary institution

Proof of funds

You must show that you have enough money for you and your family to settle in Canada, unless you

• are currently able to legally work in Canada and
• have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada

Admissibility

You must be admissible to Canada.

Get assessed by the province or territory

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

To learn more about getting assessed, you should go to the website of the body that governs trades for the province/territory where you would like to live and work. The process is different, depending on where you want to go.

Each website has more details about certificates of qualification to work in that province or territory in a specific skilled trade, and what you have to do to get one.

If your trade is not regulated by a province or territory, it may be federally regulated (for example, airplane mechanic). You can find out who regulates your trade by visiting the website of the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials.

Next steps

You need certain documents at different stages of the Express Entry application process.

Documents for your profile

You don’t need to upload documents to submit a profile, but you may need information from some or all of these documents:

• passport or travel document
• language test results
• education credential assessment report if
  • you’re applying through the Federal Skilled Workers program, or
  • you want to get points for the education you got outside Canada
• provincial nomination (if you have one)
• written job offer from an employer in Canada (if you have one)

Documents for your application for permanent residence

If we invite you to apply, you’ll need to upload copies of the documents you used for your profile (see list above). Most applicants will also need to upload the following:

• police certificates
• medical exams
• proof of funds

Next step

Submit Profile