Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

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

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply as skilled worker you should:-

1. You must plan to live outside the province of Quebec.

2. Meet  minimum language requirement of (CLB) 5 for speaking and listening, and CLB 4 for reading and writing.

3. Must have at least 2 years of full time working experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in the nominated occupation in the past 5 years before applying. Should perform all the duties mentioned for the nominated occupation in National Occupational Classification (NOC)

4. 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 provincial or territorial body.

Skilled work experience

Skilled trades for the Federal Skilled Trades Program are organized under these groups of the National Occupational Classification (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
  • Minor Group 633, butchers and bakers

The major NOC groups are subdivided into different occupations, and they are all skill type B.

 In total  43 occupations fall in this group which are subdivided into two i.e. category A and Category B.  Only 3000 applications are approved each year under thi scategory where only  100 applications for a particular occupation is considered for processing each year for Category A while there is no cap on Category B.

Category A

Category A has a cap of 100 applications as these are occupations of moderate labor market need.

7202 Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations

7204 Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades

7205 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers

7271 Carpenters

7301 Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades

7302 Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews

8211 Supervisors, logging and forestry

8221 Supervisors, mining and quarrying

8222 Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling services

8241 Logging machinery operators

8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers

9211 Supervisors, mineral and metal processing

9212 Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities

9214 Supervisors, plastic and rubber products manufacturing

9231 Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing

9241 Power engineers and power systems operators

9243 Water and waste treatment plant operators

7231 Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors

7233 Sheet metal workers

7235 Structural metal and plate work fabricators and fitters

7236 Ironworkers

7237 Welders and related machine operators

7241 Electricians (except industrial and power system)

7242 Industrial electricians

7243 Power system electricians

7244 Electrical power line and cable workers

7245 Telecommunications line and cable workers

7246 Telecommunications installation and repair workers

7251 Plumbers

7252 Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers

7253 Gas fitters

7311 Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics

7312 Heavy-duty equipment mechanics

7313 Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics

7314 Railway carmen/women

7315 Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors

7318 Elevator constructors and mechanics

7371 Crane operators

7372 Drillers and blasters – surface, mining, quarrying and construction

7373 Water well drillers

8231 Underground production and development miners

8232 Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers

9232 Petroleum, gas and chemical process operator

Education

There is no education requirement for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. But, if you want to improve your rank in the Express Entry pool, there are 2 ways you can do this.

  • If you went to school in Canada, you can get points for a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
    • secondary institution (high school) or
    • post-secondary institution

    or

  • If you have foreign education, you can get points for a completed educational credential, if you have an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for immigration purposes from a designated organization showing that your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
    • secondary institution (high school) or
    • post-secondary institution

Proof of funds

You must show that you have enough money for you and your family to settle in Canada, unless you:

  • are currently able to legally work in Canada
  • have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada

The table below details  the minimum amount you need to settle in  Canada. I

Number of
family members
Funds required
(in Canadian dollars)
1 $12,669
2 $15,772
3 $19,390
4 $23,542
5 $26,701
6 $30,114
7 $33,528
For each additional family member $3,414

Get assessed by the province or territory

You’ll likely have to go to the province or territory to be assessed for your trade. You may also need an employer in Canada to give you experience and training.

To learn more about getting assessed, 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 certificates of qualification to work in that province or territory in a specific skilled trade, and what you have to do to get one.

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