top of page
Skilled Trades
Minimun Requirements
​

To be eligible, you must:

  • plan to live outside the province of Quebec (Note: The province of Quebec selects its own skilled workers. If you plan on living in Quebec, see Quebec-selected skilled workers for more information),

  • meet the required levels in English or French for each language ability (speaking, reading, writing and listening),

  • have at least two years of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in a skilled trade within the five years before you apply,

This means you must work a total of at least 30 hours over a period of one week for two years in your skilled trade within the five years before you apply. For example:

 

Full Time

  • 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours

 

Part time

  • 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
     

Or

  • 30 hours/week for 12 months at more than one job = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)

 

  • meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021), except for needing a certificate of qualification, and

  • have an offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least one year or a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial or territorial authority.

    • In Canada, provinces and territories issue certificates of qualification in the skilled trades. To get a certificate, the provincial or territorial trades authority must assess your training, trades experience and skills to decide if you are eligible to write an exam to be certified.

​
Skilled Work Experience
​

Skilled Trades currently eligible for the Federal Skilled Trades Program are organized under these major and minor groups of the NOC 2021:

 

  • Major Group 72, technical trades and transportation officers and controllers excluding Sub-Major Group 726, transportation officers and controllers

  • Major Group 73, general trades

  • Major Group 82, supervisors in natural resources, agriculture and related production

  • Major Group 83, occupations in natural resources and related production

  • Major Group 92, processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors, and utilities operators and controllers

  • Major Group 93, central control and process operators and aircraft assembly assemblers and inspectors, excluding Sub-Major Group 932, aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors

  • Minor Group 6320, cooks, butchers and bakers

  • Unit Group 62200, chefs

 

These major NOC groups are subdivided into different occupations. 

​

You must show that you did the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC, including all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

​

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.

 

Language ability

You must:

  • meet the minimum language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 for speaking and listening, and Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 for reading and writing, and

  • take a language test approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) that shows you meet the level for speaking, listening, reading and writing.

​

You must show that you meet the requirements in English or French by including the test results when you complete your Express Entry profile. Your test results must not be more than two years old on the day you apply for permanent residence.

​

Other requirements

  • You must be admissible to Canada. Find out more about inadmissibility.

  • You must plan to live outside the province of Quebec.

​

Be assessed by the province or territory

​

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

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 whether you need a certificate of qualification to work in that province or territory in a specific skilled trade, and what you have to do to get one.

​

bottom of page