Canada Federal Skilled Trades Program

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

The FST program is managed by Express Entry system. Candidates who want to apply for Canadian permanent residence must first submit their express of interest through Express Entry. The system will then assess all applications in the pool to select the most competitive candidates based on their points.

Eligibility

• Experience: at least 2 years of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in a skilled trade within the 5 years before you apply. Your work experience must be for paid work (paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or unpaid internships do not count), and post-qualification.
• Meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification (as explained below), except for needing a certificate of qualification.
• Connection to Canada:
  • Have a valid job offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least 1 year, or
  • Certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial, or federal authority.
• Residence in Canada: You must agree to live outside of Quebec.
• Language: reach a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) on English or French, as below:

If you meet the above requirements, you can create an Express Entry Profile on Express Entry system for the FST for consideration.

Skilled work experience

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

You must be able to show that you performed the tasks set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC.

Education

Formal education is not required in the FST program. However, if you want to increase to chance to get the invitation by increasing your points, you can submit your qualification to claim points:

• If you went to school in Canada, you can claim points for certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian secondary institution or post-secondary institution;
• If you want to use your foreign qualification, you must get educational credential from a designated organisation to claims points.

Proof of funds

You must be able to demonstrate that you have enough funds to settle in Canada, unless you:

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

How much money you will need