The Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Program is a program under the Express Entry System for skilled workers who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade.
The Federal Skilled Trades Program includes the following requirements for an applicant:
Applicant must have at least two(2) years of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in a skilled trade within the five(5) years before they apply,
Applicant must meet all the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification, except for needing a certificate of qualificationfrom a provincial or territorial body.
Applicant have a valid job offer (Positive LMIA)from up to two employers for a total period of at leastone(1) yearof full-time employment or a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority.
Applicant must have CLB Level 5 for speaking and listening and CLB Level 4 for reading and writing in one of the official languages with in last two years from an approved agency.
Applicant must be admissible to Canada i.e. Police clearance and Medical Clearance.
Applicant must have intention to stay in any province except Quebec.
Work experience must meet the lead statement of the occupational description in the National Occupational Classification and it should have included all the essential duties and most of the main duties that are listed on NOC profile.
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.
There are no educational or proof of funds requirements to be eligible under the FST program. The FST applications are assessed based on an applicant’s ability to become economically established upon immigration to Canada.
If applicant qualify for FST, they will enter the Express Entry pool and their rank in the pool will be decided based on the points that their profile has secured on a comprehensive ranking system. The profile with the highest rank is selected first and invited to apply to be Permanent Resident of Canada.
If Permanent Resident application is accepted by the Canadian government, they will have the privilege of becoming a Permanent Resident of the country. The privileges that they can enjoy as a Permanent Resident include all which are enjoyed by a Canadian Citizen, except the right to vote or join the military. Apart from that, they will also be eligible to apply for a Canadian Citizenship after fulfilling the eligibility requirements as a Permanent Resident of the country.