This program is for foreign skilled workers with work experience in a qualified trade and want to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents.

Federal Skilled Trades (FSW) program is one of Canada Economic Class categories that is managed through the Express Entry System. The first step in this process is to be entered into the express entry system by meeting certain minimum requirements. Though, the ranking of candidates in the express entry system under this program is slightly different from that of the Federal Skilled Worker program.

The required experience is grouped into two (major and minor groups):

Major group – qualified trades related to (industrial, electrical, construction, maintenance and equipment operation, technical job supervisors, jobs in natural resources, job in agriculture and production, jobs in processing and manufacturing etc)

Minor Group – qualified trades related to (chefs, cooks, butchers and bakers)

Eligibility – to qualify under this program,  you must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Language Test –  (has to be in English or French, must be approved test, minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks – CLB 5 in speaking and listening, CLB 4 in reading and writing).  
• Experience – has at least 2 years full time work experience within the last 5 years before applying
• Education – no education requirement for the federal skilled trades, but some level of education can increase candidate ranking. 
• Meet the job requirement for the specified skill trade as set out in the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC)
• Valid job offer (valid job offer refers to a legitimate continuous full time paid job offer from a Canadian employer for at least 1-year OR an issuance of certificate of qualification in that skill trade by a Canadian province. territorial or  federal authority).

The process described above is overly simplified for easy understanding for those who want a quick synopsis of the process. The actual process is a little complex than as described above, which is where we come in to give you a hand.