Federal Skilled Trades Program

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

Minimum requirements

To be eligible, you must

  • Plan to live outside the province of Quebec
  • Meet the required levels in English or French for each language ability (speaking, reading, writing and listening)
  • Have 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
  • Meet the job requirements for that skilled trade, as set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) of your primary occupation, except for needing a certificate of qualification
  • Have an offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least 1 year or a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority.

Skilled work experience

Skilled trades that are 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 workers
  • major group 73: maintenance and equipment operation workers
  • major group 82: supervisors and technical workers 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

Education

There is no education requirement for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. However, if you want to earn points under Express Entry, you must have a diploma or degree from Canadian institution or an ECA (Education Credential Assessments) report if your education is from foreign country.

Language ability

You must

  • Meet the minimum language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 for speaking and listening and CLB 4 for reading and writing