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Canada Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)

Federal Skilled Trades Class applicants must have the ability to work in a trade to become economically established upon immigration to Canada.

Eligible candidates for the Federal Skilled Trades Class  must make an expression of interest in immigrating to Canada through the Express Entry selection system for immigration to Canada.

The Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) allows individuals with job offers or appropriate certification to work in certain occupations to obtain Canadian permanent residence in any Canadian province or territory other than Quebec. This stream has specific requirements such as education, job offers and work experience.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to qualify for a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa, Federal Skilled Trades applicants must:

  • Have a full time job offer for a total of at least one year or a Certificate of Qualification from a provincial or territorial body
  • Provide a valid language proficiency test result from a designated language testing organization, showing that the applicant meets the minimum threshold set by the Minister — Canadian Level Benchmark (CLB) 5 for speaking and listening, CLB 4 for reading and writing;
  • Have obtained 24 months of qualified work experience in the skilled trade in the last five years before they apply; and
  • Be able to demonstrate the skills and experience and that they have performed the fundamental duties of the occupation.
  • Job offer can be from up to two employers and the candidate can work in a part time basis from each employer.

Skilled Trades currently eligible for the Federal Skilled Trades Class fall into the following general categories of the 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, and
  • Minor Group 633: butchers and bakers.