Federal Skilled Trades Class applications are assessed based on an applicant’s ability to become economically established upon immigration to Canada.
From January 1, 2015, eligible candidates for the Federal Skilled Trades Class (formerly the Federal Skilled Trades Program) must make an expression of interest in immigrating to Canada through the Express Entry selection system for immigration to Canada.
The Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) allows individuals with job offers or appropriate certification to work in certain occupations to obtain Canadian permanent residence in any Canadian province or territory other than Quebec.
In order to qualify for a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa, Federal Skilled Trades applicants must:
Have offers of employment from up to two employers in Canada of at least one year duration OR a Certificate of Qualification from a provincial or territorial body;
Provide proof of basic language proficiency from a designated language testing organization, demonstrating that the applicant meets the minimum threshold set by the Minister — Canadian Level Benchmark (CLB) 5 for speaking and listening, CLB 4 for reading and writing;
Have obtained 24 months of qualified work experience in the skilled trade in the last five years; and
Be able to demonstrate the skills and experience and that they have performed the essential duties of the occupation.
All NOC B level occupations will be eligible for this program. This amounts to a total of 90 eligible occupations.
These eligible occupations fall into the following general categories:
- Industrial, electrical and construction trades;
- Maintenance and equipment operation trades;
- Supervisors and technical occupations in national resources, agriculture and related production;
- Processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators;
- Chefs and cooks; and
- Butchers and bakers.