Federal Skill Trades Program

The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) is for those who want to become permanent residents of Canada based on being qualified in a skilled trade.
For the application eligibility, the requirements are as follows:

• Has at least 2 years of full-time work experience in an eligible skilled trade;
• Meets minimum language level proficiency in English or French;
• Has an offer of full-time employment for a total of at least one year; or
• Has a certificate of qualification in your skilled trade issued by a province or territory

Note: - If the applicant is deciding to live in Quebec, than there is a different Quebec-selected skilled worker application process.

Work Experience requirements of the applicant

The applicant's work experience must be in a trade that is part of Skill Level B in the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC).
This work experience should be during the last 5 years.

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 further subdivided into different occupations, and they are all skill type B.
The applicant must show that he or she has performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.
If the applicant doesn’t show that his/her experience meets the description in the NOC, the application is rejected.

Education Requirements:

There is no education requirement for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. Nevertheless, if the applicant wants to improve the ranking in the Express Entry pool, there are 2 ways to do this.

• If the applicant has been to a school in Canada, he/she can get points for a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
  • secondary institution (high school) or
  • post-secondary institution

or

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

The applicant must

• meet the minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for speaking and listening, and Canadian Language Benchmark 4 for reading and writing
  • take approved language tests for 1- writing 2- reading 3- listening 4- speaking
  • enter the test results in your Express Entry profile

Language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result. They must be valid on the day the applicant applies for permanent residence.

Proof of funds

The applicant must show that he/she has enough money for him/herself and his/her family to settle in Canada, unless

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

Admissibility

The applicant must be admissible to Canada.

Where you can live in Canada

You can live anywhere in Canada except the province of Quebec.

How do I apply to the FSTP?

If the applicant is eligible to apply under the FST category, the applicant may submit their profile to Express Entry. Express Entry is a new online application system for economic immigration categories, such as the FSTP.