How to be Eligible for Canada's Federal Skilled Trades Program via Express Entry

As you may already know, you can be eligible for Canada Express Entry through any of the economic programs managed by Express Entry below:

1. Canadian Experience Class
2. Federal Skilled Worker Program
3. Federal Skilled Trades Program 

Today, we will discuss the 3rd program on the list above, how you can get started and apply for Canada's Federal Skilled Trades Program via Express Entry.

Canada's Federal Skilled Trades Program is for skilled workers who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade.

In case you'd like to know whether you posses a skill trade, there are many examples of skilled trades which are mentioned below this article but before that, let's have a look  at some of the key requirements you will need to apply for Canada's Federal Skilled Trades Program (via Express Entry)

 

Canada's Federal Skilled Trades Program Minimum requirements

• Skilled work experience
• Education
• Language ability
• Proof of funds
• Admissibility
• Where you can live in Canada
• Be assessed by your province or territory

Minimum requirements

To be eligible, you must

• Meet the required language levels for each language ability
  • writing
  • reading
  • listening
  • speaking
    
    
• have at least 2 years of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in a skilled trade within the 5 years before you apply
• meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification, except for needing a certificate of qualification
• You need to have
  
  • valid job offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least 1 year or
  • certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority

 

 Skilled Trades Program Requirements Explained

Work Experience

Skilled trades for the Federal Skilled Trades Program are organized under these groups of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
Go here to find the NOC code, title and skill type or level for your job.

The major NOC groups are subdivided into different occupations, and they are all skill type B.
Federal Skilled Trades Program applications must be made based on the 2016 version of the NOC 

 

Education

There is no education requirement for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. But, if you want to improve your rank in the Express Entry pool, there are 2 ways you can do this.

1. If you went to school in Canada, you can get points for a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian secondary institution (high school) or post-secondary institution.
2. If you have foreign education, you can get points for a completed educational credential, but to do this first you need to have an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for immigration purposes from a designated organization showing that your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree.

Language Ability

You must take an approved language test to prove your language levels.
To measure your English or French levels, we use:

• Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English
• Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for French

You must get a minimum level of CLB 7 or NCLC 7 for 1 official language in all 4 language areas.

To get points for the second official language, you must meet the minimum level of CLB 5 or NCLC 5 in all 4 language areas.

Once you take the language test, you can use it to see exactly how many points you get for the language selection factor.

 

Proof of funds

You must show that you have enough money for you and your family to settle in Canada, unless you

• are currently able to legally work in Canada and
• have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada

 

Admissibility

You must be admissible to Canada, There are different reasons you may not be allowed into Canada, such as security, criminal or medical reasons. A Canadian immigration officer will decide if you can enter Canada when you apply for a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) or when you arrive at a port of entry.

Where you can live in Canada

You must plan to live outside the province of Quebec. The province of Quebec selects its own skilled workers. If you plan on living in Quebec, see Quebec-selected skilled workers program for more information.

Get assessed by the province or territory

You’ll likely have to go to the province or territory to be assessed for your trade. You may also need an employer in Canada to give you experience and training.

To learn more about getting assessed, you should go to the website of the body that governs trades for the province/territory where you would like to live and work. The process is different, depending on where you want to go.

The provinces include: 

Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
Northwest Territories
Nova Scotia
Nunavut
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Saskatchewan
Yukon

If your trade is not regulated by a province or territory, it may be federally regulated (for example, airplane mechanic).
After passing all the above, the next steps are to get your documents ready and submit your profile for Express Entry pool.