What is the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program?
The Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) is a type of immigration program that allows international skilled workers to find work and become permanent residents of Canada. The Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program is one of three programs in the Express Entry system, an online system created by the Government of Canada for immigration purposes.
The Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program is the only business immigration program available through the Express Entry system that is directly targeted at tradespeople. The Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) is designed to enable foreign trade workers with work experience in suitable trade occupations to immigrate to Canada.
The Government of Canada invites 3000 applicants from 26 different professions to Canada each year under the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program. Of the 26 professions accepted for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program, 17 have a quota limit of 100 people.
All tradespeople whose occupation is listed on Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) can apply to the Canadian trade program.
What Are the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) Requirements?
There are requirements that individuals must meet in order to apply for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Listed below are the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program requirements.
- Language proficiency
- At least 2 years of full-time work experience in a skilled trades job within the last 5 years
- Have a skilled trade occupation listed in the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
- Have a job offer of at least 1 year from a Canadian employer
- Having a certificate of competence from the Canadian provinces indicating authorization to trade
Language Proficiency
The Government of Canada requires applicants for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program to have a minimum proficiency in English and French, the official languages of Canada. Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program applicants must provide documentation of internationally recognized language scores by taking the IELTS or CELPIP exam for English and the TEF or TFC exam for French.
International language test results are converted into Canadian Language Proficiency Mark (CLB) scores by the Canadian Government, Canada’s official language proficiency exam. Applicants to the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program must have a minimum of a level 4 score for writing and reading, and a level 5 score for listening and speaking on the CLB exam.
Education
The Government of Canada has not set any educational requirements for applicants to the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program, but individuals’ level of education provides an advantage in gaining acceptance into the program.
The education levels that Canada Federal Skilled Trades Program applicants receive benefits from are listed below.
- Canadian high school or post-secondary undergraduate diplomas
- Students are given priority in being accepted to the program if they submit an approved Educational Credential Assessment report at the time of application, showing that their education is equivalent to a high school or higher level education in Canada.
Qualified Work Experience
Applicants for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program must have one of the skilled trade occupations listed in the National Occupational Classification (NOC). There are a total of 5 skill levels in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) list: 0, A, B, C, D. The occupations accepted by the Canadian Government within the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program are trade occupations at skill levels A and B.
There are 100 quotas for skilled trade occupations at skill level A on the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC) list. There is no quota limit set by the Government of Canada for occupations at skill level B on the NOC list.
Listed below are the Group B trade occupations included in the NOC list.
- Major Group 72 – Industrial, electrical and construction trades;
- Major Group 73 – Maintenance and equipment operations trades;
- Major Group 82 – Supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture and related production;
- Major Group 92 – Process, manufacturing and service supervisors and central control operators;
- Small Group 632 – Cooks and cook’s assistants;
- Small Group 633 – Butchers and bakers;
Applicants to the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program must have at least 2 years of full-time work experience in one of the skilled trade occupations on the NOC list within the last 5 years.
State or Federal Evaluation Requirement
Applicants to the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program must hold a certificate of competency from a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority based on their experience in the trades field. Applications for certificates of competency for state or federal assessment criteria are processed through different addresses for each province.
Below are the addresses where you can apply for certificates of proficiency depending on the provinces in Canada.
- Alberta: www.tradesecrets.alberta.ca
- British Columbia: www.itabc.ca
- Manitoba: www.manitoba.ca
- New Brunswick: www2.gnb.ca
- Newfoundland and Labrador: www.gov.nl.ca
- Northwest Territories: www.ece.gov.nt.ca
- Nova Scotia: www.nsapprenticeship.ca
- Nunavut: www.gov.nu.ca
- Ontario: www.ontario.ca
- Prince Edward Island: www.princeedwardisland.ca
- Saskatchewan: www.saskapprenticeship.ca
- Yukon: www.yukon.ca
Professionals working in federally regulated trades must apply for a certificate of competency through the Canadian International Credentials Centre website.
The Government of Canada provides certificates of competence to those it deems fit. Individuals who obtain a valid certificate of competence may live anywhere in Canada except in the province of Quebec. Quebec only specifically recruits workers under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program.
Acceptability
Applicants for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program must meet the eligibility requirements set by the Government of Canada.
Eligibility requirements for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program are listed below.
- Not pose any security risk to Canada
- Not to be involved in international crimes or human rights violations
- Not have been convicted of any crime inside or outside Canada
- Not affiliated with an organized crime group
- Not having serious health problems
- Not having serious financial problems
- Providing accurate information and documents during the application
- Not have a family member who is officially banned from entering Canada
How to Apply for Canada’s Federal Skilled Trades Program
Applications for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Programs are accepted online. The Government of Canada has created an online system called Express Entry for employment and immigration programs.
The Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program is part of the Canadian Express Entry Programs. Individuals create a profile to submit to the Canadian Government through the Canadian Express Entry score calculation system. The Canadian Government ranks the created profiles in an immigration pool. Based on the profiles ranked in the Express Entry system immigration pool, the Canadian Government announces whether individuals are eligible to apply for the Federal Skilled Trades Program, starting with the highest-scoring individuals.
The application process for the Canadian Federal Skilled Worker Program through the Express Entry system takes between 6 months and 1 year.
1. Get Supporting Documents
It is recommended that applicants to the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program prepare the necessary documents requested by the Canadian Government before creating an application profile in the Express Entry online immigration system.
Listed below are the documents required for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program.
- A valid passport or travel document
- Internationally valid language test results
- Education Credential Evaluation Report
If the profiles created by individuals for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program application on the Express Entry system are approved, the Government of Canada sends the applicants an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
Below is a list of Canadian permanent residence application documents.
- Criminal record documents
- Health reports
- Proof of funds
2. Save Your Profile
Applicants for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program must create an account at the IRRC address.
You can log in to the system by creating a GCkey account via the Canada.ca website or by using your bank account information.
Individuals must log in to the Express Entry system with a GCKey account or bank account information. Applicants who log in to the Express Entry system are first subject to an eligibility test. The eligibility test on the Express Entry system evaluates whether individuals are eligible to apply for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Candidates who are deemed eligible to apply to the Federal Skilled Trades Program by the Government of Canada as a result of the eligibility test conducted through the Express Entry system are asked to upload the requested documents to their profiles. Individuals must upload their personal information, employment documents, education records, language test results and the code information from the NOC list of the skilled trade occupation they are applying for to their profiles in the Express Entry system.
The Government of Canada gives individuals 60 days to complete all their documents from the day they start creating their profiles. Individuals who have any changes in their Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program application documents have the right to edit their information in the system within 60 days.
3. Wait for the Election
The Government of Canada evaluates and scores applicants for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program based on the profiles they create through the Express Entry system. Applicants who are scored by the Government of Canada are ranked according to their scores in the immigration pool on the Express Entry system. The Government of Canada sends application approvals to candidates starting with the highest score and ending with the minimum score.
Applicants to the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program can improve their education and employment qualifications by taking vocational courses in order to receive a better score on the Express Entry assessment system.
4. Receive an Application Invitation
The Government of Canada ranks the profiles of applicants for the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program through the Express Entry system by scoring them. The highest scoring applicants are sent invitations to apply for permanent residence in Canada.
Applicants can accept an invitation letter sent by the Government of Canada, or decline if the invitation is for a program other than the Federal Skilled Trades Program. Applicants who decline an invitation letter sent by the Government of Canada for another program must create a profile from scratch to be accepted into the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
5. Apply for Permanent Residence
Applicants who accept an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence sent by the Government of Canada must pay the permanent residence application fees and ensure that additional supporting documentation is forwarded to the Government of Canada.
The Government of Canada sends out a packet of the necessary forms and documents to those who accept an invitation to apply for permanent residence. Individuals must complete the required forms, gather the necessary documents, and pay the Canadian permanent residence application fee.
All documents requested by the Government of Canada must have certified English or French translations. The applicant’s passport must be valid for at least 6 months to apply for permanent residence in Canada.
How Much Are Canadian Permanent Residence Application Fees?
Canadian permanent residence application fees are listed below:
- Canadian permanent residence processing fee – 550 CAD;
- Permanent residence right fee (RPRF) – 490 CAD: (Not applicable for dependent children) –
- Spouse or partner – CAD 1,040 (includes processing fee and RPRF);
- Dependent child of the applicant – CAD 150 (per child)
Canadian permanent residence permits allow holders to stay in Canada indefinitely. In order to obtain a Canadian residence and work permit , individuals must pay application fees determined by the Canadian Government.
