Eligibility criteria include:

Work Experience: A minimum of 2 years of regular full-time employment (or equivalent part-time) experience, within the past five years in a skilled trade which may not be continuous, but acquired after obtaining the corresponding qualifications to perform such a job.

Job offer or certification: A valid offer of full-time employment for a period of at least one year from up to 2 Canadian employers. Alternative to a job offer, have a Certificate of Qualification in the said skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial or territorial authority.

Language Proficiency: A minimum language ability of CLB 5 in speaking and listening and a minimum of CLB 4 in reading and writing.

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.

You must show that you 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.

What is a certificate of qualification?

A ‘certificate of qualification’ or a ‘qualification certificate’ is issued by the body that governs trades in a Canadian province or territory or by a federal body. This certificate proves your qualification to practice a particular skilled trade in Canada upon:

• Passing a certification exam and Meeting all the requirements to practice the said trade in that province or territory.