FEDERAL SKILLED TRADES CLASS

The Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) is similar to the FSWC except that it targets people in specific occupations, including:

  • Industrial, electrical and construction trades
  • Maintenance and equipment operation trades
  • Supervisors and technical jobs in agriculture, natural resources and related production
  • Supervisors and central utilities control operators for processing, manufacturing and utilities
  • Chefs and cooks
  • Butchers and bakers

If you currently work in one of those categories, to be eligible for the FSTC you must also:

  • Pass a language test
  • Have completed two years of full-time work experience or the equivalent in part-time hours in the trade within the past five years
  • Have the ability to show that your skills and experience are commensurate with the main responsibilities of the job
  • Have a full-time job offer for a 1-year contract from a Canadian employer in that trade or earn a certificate of qualificationin that trade from an appropriate Canadian authority.

In other words, you can bypass the need for a Canadian job offer if you have a certificate of qualification. If you go that route, you must also demonstrate that you have enough settlement funds.

The price goes up if you have a family and must show proof that they have the funds in the bank before they can apply.

Sometimes, a territory or province doesn’t offer certificates of qualification in a certain field. In that case, you must have a qualifying employment offer in your skilled trade from a Canadian company.

To grant you a valid job offer, most Canadian employers also have to submit a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), or confirmation letter. This proves that the employer has looked for a suitable Canadian candidate without any luck before looking abroad to fill the position. These job offers are exempt from the LMIA.