On January 2nd, 2013 Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) began accepting applications for permanent residence under its widely anticipated Federal Skilled Trades Program. The program is quota based and limited to 3000 applications per year with sub-quotas in many of the 43 targeted occupations.
Requirements
Eligibility under the Federal Skilled Trades Class is assessed on a pass or fail basis, with applicants required to fulfill the following four requirements:
- Have offers of employment from one or two Canadian employers for a duration of at least one year in an eligible skilled trade (NOC Skill level B), OR Hold certification of qualification for that trade from a Canadian provincial or territorial regulatory body;
- Provide evidence of sufficient language proficiency in one of Canada’s two official languages;
- Have 24 months of work experience in the last five years in the skilled trade, after trade qualification, where applicable;
- Be qualified to meet the requirements of the job offer(s) or trade in Canada, as defined by the NOC;
The Federal Skilled Trades Class is not open to applicants wishing to establish themselves in the Province of Quebec which has its authority to select applicants.
The following jobs qualify for the Federal Skilled Trades Program under the National Occupational Classification:
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
Requirements
1) Language
Candidates are required to have Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for speaking and listening, and 4 for reading and writing in either English or French.
2) Work Experience
Candidates must have at least two years or full-time work experience, or an equal amount of part-time work experience, in a skilled trade (see above) within the last five years.
The work experience only counts after the candidate is qualified to independently practice the occupation.
Candidates must meet the job requirements as set out in the National Occupational Classification, except for needing a certificate of qualification.
3) Job Offer
Candidates must either:
Have a valid job offer of full-time employment lasting at least 1 year, OR
Have a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority.
4) Education
There are no formal education requirements for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. However, candidates can add their education credentials to their Express Entry profiles to increase their score, making them more likely to receive an Invitation to Apply.
5) Proof of Funds
Candidates must show they have the required funds to settle in Canada.
