Federal Skilled Trades

Teacher Helping Students Training To Be Builders

The Federal Skilled Trades (FST) is an immigration category for applicants who may become permanent residents based on their ability to become economically established in Canada based on being qualified in a skilled trade.

The FST class is designed to grant permanent resident status to foreign workers with prior work experience in skill trades groups such as technical occupations, construction, industrial, electrical and others. You can find out if you qualify for this immigration class by taking the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) assessment.

Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Class Minimum Eligibility Requirements

To apply for Federal Skilled Trades (FSW), you must meet the minimum eligibility requirement. You are deemed eligible if you:

Satisfy the job requirements for the skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) for this class

Meet the minimum requirement for English or French language skills for all four language abilities (Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing)

visa types

Have a minimum of 2 years full-time work experience or its equivalent in part time in a skilled trade within 5 years prior to your application

Earned wages or earned commission from this work experience. In essence, this work experience MUST be paid work, because unpaid work or volunteer work do not count.

Possess a valid job offer of full-time employment for at least 1 year in the qualifying skilled trade OR a certificate of qualification in the qualifying trade issued by any of Canadian province, territory or federal authority.

Skilled Work Experience

All qualifying skilled trades groups for the FST are under the TEER 2 and TEER 3 category of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). They are listed below:

Major Group 72

Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers excluding Sub-Major Group 726, transportation officers and controllers

Major Group 73

General trades

Major Group 82

Supervisors in natural resources, agriculture and related production

Major Group 83

Occupations in natural resources and related production

Major Group 92

Processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors, and utilities operators and controllers

Major Group 93

Central control and process operators and aircraft assembly assemblers and inspectors, excluding Sub-Major Group 932, aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors

Minor Group 6320

Cooks, butchers and bakers

Unit Group 62200

Chefs

Group Of People Representing Diverse Professions On White Background

Anchor Bay Immigration Consulting Services (ABICS)

Skilled Work Experience

You must demonstrate that you performed all essential duties and most of the main duties outlined in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. Inability to demonstrate that you have the work experience listed in the NOC will result in the refusal of your application.

Note that your work experience starts counting after you qualify for independent practice in the skilled trade. If you can’t tell your job title and / or NOC code for your skilled trades.

You can confirm it here.

Education Requirement

There is no education requirement for the FST program. However, if an applicant wants the points for education to improve their express entry pool ranking profile, they can either

1) Earn points for certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian secondary or post-secondary institution if the applicant studied in Canada

1) If the applicant studied outside of Canada (foreign education), you must submit:
1. 1.1) A completed credentials of your foreign education
2. 1.2) An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for immigration purposes issued from an IRCC approved designated organization.
2) The ECA report demonstrates the Canadian equivalent of your foreign education credentials, as well as its authenticity. The ECA has a validity period of 5 years, and the ECA report reference number is required when making your Express Entry (EE) profile online application.

Language Skills

You must demonstrate you meet the minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB)

5 for speaking and listening, and Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 for reading and writing, by submitting the test results of your English or French assessments from approved testing organizations.

Valid for 2 Years

This test result is valid for only 2 years from the date of the result and must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.

Proof of Funds / Settlement Funds

You must show you have enough “settlement” funds to support yourself and your family / dependents when you arrive in Canada.

Exemption from Proof of Funds / Settlement Funds

You are exempted from proof of funds if:

You are currently able to legally work in Canada

Have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer

Admissibility

If you are applying for permanent residence status under the CEC program:

You must be admissible into Canada.
You must also have no plans to stay in the province of Quebec

Province or Territory of Residence in Canada

You will choose your preferred province or territory of residence when you fill out your Express Entry profile online. When you enter Canada, you can plan to settle in your chosen province or territory, but it’s not mandatory you have to settle in that province or territory.
If a province or territory nominated you, you must settle in the province or territory that nominated you.
You must also plan to live outside the province of Quebec. If you plan to live in Quebec, you will have to explore the Quebec- Selected Skilled Workers Class, an immigration program unique to Quebec for selecting skilled workers.