Federal Skilled Trade
1. Federal Skilled Trade qualification
IRCC invites Express Entry candidates to apply through the trade stream only a few times per year, less frequently than Federal Skilled Worker draws.
Work Experience
Minimum 2 years of full-time or equivalent part-time accumulated work experience in the trade within the 5 years before the permanent resident application.
Job Offer or Certificate
A valid job offer of full time employment for at least 1 year is required OR alternatively, a certificate of qualification in the trade issued by a Canadian provincial or federal authority.
Occupations list
Skilled trades for the Federal Skilled Trades Program are organized under these groups of the National Occupational Classification (NOC):
– Major Group 72 (excluding Sub-Major Group 726), technical trades and transportation officers and controllers
– Major Group 73, general trades
– Major Group 82, supervisors in natural resources, agriculture and related production
– Major Group 83, occupations in natural resources and related production
– Major Group 92, processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and utilities operators and controllers
– Major Group 93 (excluding Sub-Major Group 932), central control and process operators and aircraft assembly assemblers and inspectors
– Minor Group 6320, cooks, butchers and bakers
– Unit Group 62200, chefs
The major NOC groups are subdivided into different occupations, and they are all classified under TEER 2 or TEER 3.
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.
There is no education requirement for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. But you can improve your rank in the Express Entry pool if you went to school in Canada, you can get points for a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian or equivalent foreign secondary (high school) or post-secondary school.
Meet the minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 for speaking and listening, and Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 for reading and writing
Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result. They must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.
Once you are in the pool, you will compete with other applicants with a CRS score (Comprehensive Ranking System). There are ways to improve your chances of success, talk to an immigration lawyer or RCIC (Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant) for tips. And don’t forget, Federal Skilled Trades is just one of many streams for foreign workers to become permanent residents — explore Skilled Workers for other avenues.
The Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) and Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP) are two distinct federal pilots that help boost the economy of designated communities — 14 rural communities under RCIP and 6 Francophone minority communities under FCIP.