Federal Skilled Trades Class

August 2012, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), announced the creation of a new program under the Economic Class, the Federal Skilled Trades Class

Minimum requirements

  • Have the intention to live in any Canadian Province or Territory with the exception of Quebec.
  • Applicants through this programme must demonstrate English language abilities in the Listening and Speaking as aspects of the language that are correspondent to CLB 5 (Canadian Language Benchmark), and Reading and Writing that correspondent to CLB 4.
  • Applicants must possess a minimum of 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
  • Demonstrate that you have performed a substantial number of the main duties that are known for the job you are planning to engage in when you arrive in Canada. This is defined by the National Occupation Classification Code of the HRSDC.
  • 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.

Note:   In Canada, provinces and territories issue certificates of qualification in the skilled trades. To get a certificate, the provincial or territorial trades authority must assess your training, trade experience and skills to decide if you are eligible to write an exam to be certified.

  • Skilled work experience

    Skilled Trades currently eligible for the Federal Skilled Trades Program are organized under these major and minor groups of the 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, and
    • Minor Group 633, butchers and bakers.

    These major NOC groups are subdivided into different occupations. (All are NOC skill type B.)

  • Education

    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

      Note: You will only benefit from getting an ECA if your foreign education is equal to a completed Canadian high school diploma or greater.

  • Language ability

    You must:

    • meet the minimum language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 for speaking and listening, and Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 for reading and writing, and
    • take a language test approved by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that shows you meet the level for speaking, listening, reading and writing.

    You must show that you meet the requirements in English or French by including the test resultswhen you complete your Express Entry profile. Your test results must not be more than two years old on the day you apply for permanent residence.
    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.
    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 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.

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