Federal Skilled Trades Program | Work and Live in Canada Permanently!

Federal Skilled Trades Program is being managed through the Express Entry System.  It is for people who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade.

 Federal Skilled Trades Program

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 two years of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience)
  • meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC), except for needing a certificate of qualification, and
  • 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.

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. 

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 Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) 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 results when 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.

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 
  1. a completed foreign credential, and 
  2. an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from an agency approved by CIC. [The report must show your foreign education is equal to a completed Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree.] 
Be assessed by the province or territory
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.
If you work in a skilled trade and want to work and live in Canada permanently, find out if you are eligible.

Take our FREE Online Assessment.