Skilled workers in certain trades can obtain Canadian permanent residency under the Federal Skilled Trade Class – a program under the Express Entry program. This program is applicable to potential applicants with training and work experience such as welders, carpenter, bricklayers, cooks and chefs, and electricians.

There are four requirements which applicants must meet:

They must demonstrate proficiency in English or French from a designated language testing organization. Applicants must meet the minimum level 5 for speaking and listening, and level 4 for reading and writing, and
Have at least two years of full time work experience in a skilled trade in the last five years, and
Meet the requirements for a particular skilled tradethat is eligible for the program (see the National Occupational Classification list of 90 eligible occupations below)
Hold either an offer of employment or a qualification certificate

The Federal Skilled Trades Class is not open to applicants wishing to establish themselves in the Province of Quebec which has its own authority to select applicants.

Certification or Offer of Employment

Applicants need to have an offer for continuous full-time employment for a period of one year or to hold a certificate of qualification issued by a provincial/territorial authority.

Employers willing to hire and support a skilled trade worker’s application to the FSTP will need to apply to Service Canada for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Applicants who hold a qualification certificate for a skilled trade are not required to have a job offer. To obtain a qualification certificate, applicants will need to contact the regulatory body or the apprenticeship authority in the province or territory and submit an application assessment of the work experience. The certificate of qualification only is possible to be applied inside Canada, applicants will need to travel to the province or territory to apply for the certificate of qualification.

Education
There is no education requirement for the Federal Skilled Trades Program, but if you want to earn points for your education under Express Entry, you either need:

a Canadian post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, or
a completed foreign credential, and
an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from an agency approved by CIC. (The report must show your foreign education is equal to a completed Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree)

Eligible Trades and Caps on application

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

Group A job applications are limited to 100 applicants per year:

7202 Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations;
7204 Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades;
7205 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers;
7271 Carpenters;
7301 Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades;
7302 Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews;
8211 Supervisors, logging and forestry;
8221 Supervisors, mining and quarrying;
8222 Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling services;
8241 Logging machinery operators;
8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers;
9211 Supervisors, mineral and metal processing;
9212 Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities;
9214 Supervisors, plastic and rubber products manufacturing;
9231 Central control and process operators, mineral and metal processing;
9241 Power engineers and power systems operators;
9243 Water and waste treatment plant operators.

Group B job applications are unrestricted:

7231 Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors;
7233 Sheet metal workers;
7235 Structural metal and plate work fabricators and fitters;
7236 Ironworkers;
7237 Welders and related machine operators;
7241 Electricians (except industrial and power system);
7242 Industrial electricians;
7243 Power system electricians;
7244 Electrical power line and cable workers;
7245 Telecommunications line and cable workers;
7246 Telecommunications installation and repair workers;
7251 Plumbers;
7252 Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers;
7253 Gas fitters;
7311 Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics;
7312 Heavy-duty equipment mechanics;
7313 Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics;
7314 Railway carmen/women;
7315 Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors;
7318 Elevator constructors and mechanics;
7371 Crane operators;
7372 Drillers and blasters – surface, mining, quarrying and construction;
7373 Water well drillers;
8231 Underground production and development miners;
8232 Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers;
9232 Petroleum, gas and chemical process operators.

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