The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

Immigrants who are eligible to take part in the Skilled Trades Program are those who:

have at least two years of full-time work experience (or the part-time equivalent of 3120 hours) in a skilled trade (see list below) within the last five years, AND
have a full-time job offer of at least one year OR a certificate of competency in the skilled trade (issued by an approved Canadian organisation) in a specific list of trades (see list below).

In terms of education, it is not necessary to have a Canadian diploma. However, holding a Canadian certification or an overview of your foreign diplomas or degrees could earn you additional points for Express Entry.

There is also a minimum requirement regarding language level in French OR English for this category:

CLB 5 for speaking and listening
CLB 4 for reading and writing

The French tests seem more relevant for native French speakers. However, please note that a good command of English is still important in that you must be able to understand your employer’s instructions and make yourself understood.

What are the various skilled trades?

Major Group 72 – electrical, industrial and construction trades: electricians, boilermakers, welders, plumbers, carpenters, tilers, and cabinetmakers
Major Group 73 – maintenance and equipment operation trades: mechanics, car repairers, lift builders, crane operators and water well drillers
Major Group 82 : these include miners, fishermen, technical jobs in agriculture, or forestry supervisors
Major Group 92: these include supervisory personnel in refining, textile manufacturing, car manufacturing, and operators of water and waste treatment facilities
Minor Group 632: these are chefs and cooks
Minor Group 633: these are butchers, fishmongers and bakers

A Job Offer or Certificate of Competency

To be eligible for the skilled trades category, you must either:

Have a valid full-time job offer (with a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)) of at least one year from one or two employers in one of the skilled trades listed above. Learn more…
Hold a certificate of competency in the relevant trade, issued by a Canadian organisation. In Canada, most of the occupations listed above require a certificate of competency, which is issued by an organisation in the province or territory in which you wish to settle. In order to obtain it, the organisation must generally evaluate your skills in the chosen area. A field trip is often necessary. If you work in one of these occupations, find out what kind of certification is required or is optional in your chosen province or territory.
To find out more, we recommend that you visit the provincial apprenticeship and certification pages of the various provinces and territories, focusing on the sections for foreign workers (unfortunately, not all of these sites have such pages, so please contact the organisations directly if this is the case). Links to provincial and territorial websites are provided on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada site.

For more information on the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), here are some useful links from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada: