Eligibility to apply for the Federal Skilled Trades Program (Express Entry)

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
  • your work experience must be for paid work (paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count)
• meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification, except for needing a certificate of qualification
• have a
  • 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 work experience

Skilled trades for the Federal Skilled Trades Program are organized under these groups of the National Occupational Classification (NOC):

• Major Group 72, industrial, electrical and construction trades
• Major Group 73, maintenance and equipment operation trades
• Major Group 82, supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture and related production
• Major Group 92, processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators
• Minor Group 632, chefs and cooks
• Minor Group 633, butchers and bakers

The major NOC groups are subdivided into different occupations, and they are all skill type B.

You must show that you performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

If you don’t show that your experience meets the description in the NOC, we’ll refuse your application.

The work experience only counts after you qualified to independently practice the occupation.

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.

• 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

  or

• If you have foreign education, you can get points for a completed educational credential, if you 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 from a Canadian:
  • secondary institution (high school) or
  • post-secondary institution

Language ability

You must

• meet the minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for speaking and listening, and Canadian Language Benchmark 4 for reading and writing
• take approved language tests for
  • writing
  • reading
  • listening
  • speaking
• enter the test results in your Express Entry profile

Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result. They must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.

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.

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 for more information.

When you fill out your profile, we’ll ask you where you plan to live in Canada. You don’t have to settle in that province or territory.

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.

Each website has more details about certificates of qualification to work in that province or territory in a specific skilled trade, and what you have to do to get one.

• 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). You can find out who regulates your trade by the following table.

	Occupation name	Noc code	Skill type	Skill level	Regulation	MRA	Red Seal
107	Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors	7315	7	B		Yes
218	Appliance servicers and repairers	7332	7	B			Yes
178	Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers	7321	7	B		Yes	Yes
232	Boilermakers	7234	7	B			Yes
231	Bricklayers	7281	7	B		Yes	Yes
287	Construction trades helpers and labourers	7611	7	D		Yes	Yes
211	Crane operators	7371	7	B	Yes		Yes
319	Drillers and blasters – surface mining, quarrying and construction	7372	7	B
165	Electricians (except industrial and power system)	7241	7	B	Yes	Yes	Yes
318	Elevator constructors and mechanics	7318	7	B		Yes
316	Gas fitters	7253	7	B		Yes	Yes
432	Heavy equipment operators (except crane)	7521	7	C		Yes	Yes
176	Heavy-duty equipment mechanics	7312	7	B			Yes
166	Industrial electricians	7242	7	B	Yes	Yes	Yes
224	Ironworkers	7236	7	B			Yes
212	Motor vehicle body repairers	7322	7	B		Yes	Yes
213	Motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle and other related mechanics	7334	7	B			Yes
223	Oil and solid fuel heating mechanics	7331	7	B			Yes
222	Other trades and related occupations, n.e.c.	7384	7	B		Yes	Yes
171	Plumbers	7251	7	B		Yes	Yes
167	Power system electricians	7243	7	B
177	Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics	7313	7	B	Yes	Yes	Yes
172	Sheet metal workers	7233	7	B			Yes
215	Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers	7252	7	B	Yes	Yes	Yes
216	Structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters	7235	7	B			Yes
315	Telecommunications installation and repair workers	7246	7	B
169	Telecommunications line and cable workers	7245	7	B
220	Tilesetters	7283	7	B		Yes	Yes
173	Welders and related machine operators	7237	7	B		Yes	Yes

 

Next steps

• get your documents ready
• submit your profile