The Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program is one of the three federal immigration programs managed by the Express Entry system. As with all Express Entry programs, FST uses the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to rank interested candidates against one another, only inviting the most competitive candidates to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
The Federal Skilled Trades Program is for skilled workers who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade.
Federal Skilled Trades Class Requirements
To be eligible, a person must
meet the required language levels for each language ability
have at least 2 years of full-time paid work (paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count) 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
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.
A person must show that he/she has 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 or the application will be refused.
Education
There is no education requirement for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. But, one can improve the rank in the Express Entry pool, By submitting
If having Canadian education, A certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
secondary institution (high school) or
post-secondary institution
or
If having foreign education, 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
An applicant must
meet the minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for speaking and listening, and Canadian Language Benchmark 4 for reading and writing