More About the Federal Skilled Trades Program

Do you have a skilled trade, such as work in construction or utilities? Perhaps you have experience in being a cook or a baker? Canada welcomes you through the Federal Skilled Worker Program which is one of three divisions of Express Entry into Canada. With the necessary work experience and with meeting the other requirements, you may be able to live and work in our country permanently.

Have you been a supervisor in a technical job concerning natural resources or agriculture? This might also be the ticket to the FST program.

Canada is seeking more immigration from overseas to help the labour shortage and increase the economic growth of the country. Express Entry and the Federal Skilled Trades Program will allow the country to grow and prosper in the future.

What Are the Requirements For the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Program?

You must have the equivalent of two years of full-time work in a skilled trade. Time spent doing part-time work will be considered if it equals two years of full-time. This experience must have taken place in the last five years. If there is a certification to practice that trade in your home country, you must have that.

What Are Some of the Other Requirements?

Once you have met the work experience part, you will need to fulfill some other requirement to be eligible. There are three main requirements as follows:

• You must have a valid offer of work that is full-time and will last at least six months. A certificate of qualification in your skilled trade, issued by a Canadian provincial or territorial authority is also considered
• You must reach a minimum of language in English or French, attaining a level of 4 in the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) test
• You must intend to live outside the province of Quebec, since Quebec has its own rules

If you meet these requirements, you may submit an Express Entry profile under the Federal Skilled Trades Program. However, if you have certain criminal offenses in your background or certain medical conditions, you may not be admissible to Canada.

More about the language ability tested

The language ability must include tests in writing, reading, listening and speaking French or English. The minimum score is Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for speaking and listening and Canadian Language Benchmark 4 for reading and writing.

Is there an education requirement for the FST Program?

No, there is no education requirement for this program. However, you can improve your rank by the following:

You went to school in Canada, you will get points for a certificate or diploma. Or if you have a foreign education you’ll get points for an Educational Credential Assessment for the purpose of immigration.

What is Meant By “Proof of Funds?”

Proof of Funds means that you must show that you have enough funds for taking care of yourself and your family while settling in Canada. This is if you do not have a valid job offer or are not currently able to legally work in Canada.

What Are the Skilled Trades?

You can find your group in the National Occupation Classification (NOC) . The following are the groups for Federal Skilled Trades:

• 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
• Minor Group 633, butchers and bakers

The National Occupational Classification (NOC) assigns a code and job description to every job in the Canadian market. This code is a four-digit number. You can find your code by entering in the title of your job; it will show you the code and give you more information. You can also search by entering in the NOC code if you have it.

It might give you some additional information. For example, you can learn that a job of chocolate maker is considered under the group of “#6332 – Bakers.” The NOC website will also give you the main duties of the group as well as the employment requirements. There might be additional information and the names of jobs that may be excluded.

The NOC website can be very helpful when you are considering whether you may come to Canada under the Express Entry FST Program.

Where You Live May Affect Your Eligibility

Are you thinking of living in Quebec? This province has its own requirements for those in skilled trades. You will want to visit this page to learn more about the process of moving to Quebec.

Provincial nominees must settle in the province or territory where you were nominated. If you would like to learn more about your province and the trades there, it is best to go to the website or that province or territory.

You may become an apprentice and receive training in that way in some of the provinces. Each province is different, so you will want to have that information before you apply.

Bring Your Talents to Canada

The FST program may be the path to becoming a permanent resident and then a citizen of Canada. Not only will you benefit, the growth of the country will continue with your shared help and talents.

Canada welcomes diversity, and its people are from throughout the world. You can find a welcoming home here, sharing the skills in a trade that you enjoy. The Express Entry program and the FST program are just the beginning of your future as a Canadian.

Learn more today

We are a certified immigration consultant and can help answer your questions about the Express Entry program. We can explain more about documentation. If you have documents that need notarization, Canada Safe Haven Immigration Consulting is able to help with that; we are a professional notary public. Our trained staff comes from many countries and understands immigration from their own experience.

Find out more about the FST program, family immigration to Canada and other programs. Contact us.