Federal Skilled Trades Program

Permanent Residence applications under Federal Skilled Trades Program are accepted for 43 targeted occupations.Eligibility 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.

Trade certification in Canada is under provincial jurisdiction. Each province outlines which professions will be regulated and establishes regulatory bodies where applicable. Not all trades are regulated in all of the provinces. Where a trade is not regulated, an offer of employment becomes mandatory.Tradespeople who obtain an approved offer of employment for one year or more in their trade from a Canadian employer are also eligible to apply. The offer of employment will be evaluated to ensure that it is an eligible trade and that the hiring will have a neutral effect on the Canadian Labour Market.

An evidence of proficiency in the English or French language is a must. Applicants must obtain the following scores in each respective language ability:

Every year a maximum of 3000 applications are accepted in the Federal Skilled Trades Class. Eligible trades are separated into two categories: Those with individual sub-caps of 100 applications and those with no sub-cap.

Applications in the following trades will be accepted up to a maximum of 100 or until the total Class cap of 3000 applications is reached.

Learn more about Skilled Tradespersons Immigration