EE Program Guide: Federal Skilled Worker Vs Skilled Trade Worker Vs Canadian Experience Class
Compare All Express Entry Programs
Express Entry is an online system that we use to manage applications for permanent residence for 3 programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Canadian Experience Class
Compare the key differences between the programs or choose a specific program to get more details about eligibility.
If you’re eligible for one of the above programs, you can also apply through Express Entry for the Provincial Nominee Program. If you’re nominated, you’ll get extra points so you can be invited to apply quickly.
Before you compare programs, here are 2 terms you need to know:
1. Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB)
The CLB is the Canadian standard used to describe, measure and recognize English language ability of adult immigrants and prospective immigrants who plan to live and work in Canada, or apply for citizenship.
The Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens is used to assess abilities in the French language.
There are 4 language ability tests:
- writing
- reading
- listening
- speaking
2. National Occupation Classification (NOC) code
The NOC is a list of all the occupations in the Canadian labor market. It describes each job according to the training, education, experience and responsibilities (TEER) needed to work in an occupation
Eligibility criteria for Express Entry
| Eligibility criteria | Canadian Experience Class | Federal Skilled Worker Program | Federal Skilled Trades Program |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language skills | English or French skills
|
English or French skills
|
English or French skills
|
| Type/Level of work experience | Canadian work experience in an occupation listed in 1 or more of these NOC TEER Categories:
|
Work experience in an occupation listed in 1 of these NOC TEER Categories:
|
Work experience in a skilled trade under key groups of TEER 2 or TEER 3:
|
| Amount of work experience | One year in Canada in the last 3 years (either combination of full-time or part-time work) | One year continuous within the last 10 years (combination of part-time, full-time or more than 1 job in your primary occupation)
Note: Your primary occupation means the job you have experience in (within the last ten years) and want to base your immigration application on, if you are invited to apply.
|
Two years within last 5 years (either combination of full-time or part-time work) |
| Job offer | Not required. | Not required.
But you can get selection criteria (FSW) points for having a valid job offer. |
Required:
|
| Education | Not required. | Secondary education required.
You can get more selection criteria (FSW) points for your post-secondary education. |
Not required. |
