The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) is 1 of the 3 federal programs managed through Express Entry, the online application system for skilled workers. FSTP is for skilled workers who want to become permanent residents of Canada based on being qualified in a skilled trade.
The other two programs are the Federal Skilled Worker program and the Canadian Experience Class. You must be eligible under one of these programs in order to qualify to apply for Express Entry based Permanent Residency.
You can also qualify for some Provincial Nominee Programs under express entry.
What are the eligibility criteria?
To be eligible under FSTP you must demonstrate the following:
Meet language requirements of CLB 4 in either English or French
Have two years of skilled work experience
Have a job offer for at least 1 year of employment in Canada or have a certificate of qualification in a skilled trade by a province or territory in Canada
To check if you meet the criteria for the skilled work you are applying to, you must check the National Occupational Code (NOC) website. This is a government system to classify jobs based on their duties and skill levels. To be eligible for the FSTP, your job duties, descriptions and level will be compared to the ones listed on the NOC government website. Your application will be refused if you cannot prove that you meet the NOC requirements. And remember, your work experience will only be counted after you have become qualified or in other words, licensed, in that skill/trade.
What about educational/academic requirements for FSTP?
You must have noticed that there is no education requirement written above and that is because in FSTP there is no education requirement. But having a degree, certificate or diploma will bring up your CRS scores in the Express Entry pool which will further bring up your chances of receiving an invitation to apply for Permanent Residency. If you completed your secondary or post secondary education in a country outside of Canada, you must get an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) to show that your education is equivalent to a Canadian degree, certificate or diploma. If you have studied in a Canadian institution then you do not need an ECA.
Other FSTP eligibility criteria
You must have enough funds to settle in Canada alone or with your family and you must be admissible to Canada. Inadmissibility occurs if or when a person is medically or criminally inadmissible to Canada. Check our blog on Criminal Inadmissibility to learn more about this. You can also be found inadmissible if you are found to have committed misrepresentation on your application. The result of misrepresentation can be a refusal of application or temporary ban or a lifetime ban from Canadian Immigration Programs.
Do I have to live in the same Province or Territory I first committed to when I made my EE profile?
You do not have to live in the same province or territory you first picked while creating your EE profile. However, if you are a Provincial Nominee then you must settle in the same place you picked in your application. If you want to work and settle in the Province of Quebec then this program is not for you. The province of Quebec manages their own programs and you must be eligible under their programs.
Once you are ready, create your Express Entry Profile and get points based on:
Age
Education
Work experience
Language proficiency in English and/or French
Immediate family members residing in Canada
Adaptability
Job offer
Remember, receiving an invitation to apply does not guarantee Canadian Permanent Residency. Receiving an invitation to apply simply means that you have completed one section successfully by scoring enough points to get to the second section of EE. To obtain Canadian PR, It is crucial to submit a complete and strong application. You risk refusal of your application if you submit an incomplete, weak or have missing documents in your application.
For more information
If you do not qualify for the Federal Skilled Trades Program given the grounds above, you may be eligible for another application. Consult Olympia Immigration to find out what application suits your situation more appropriately.
Getting professional help is always recommended. Olympia Immigration has assisted many clients with different immigration matters. Contact us for more information on how to apply for the Federal Skilled Trades Program or any other immigration related matter. For more details call 647-325-2905. The experts at Olympia Immigration have submitted many successful immigration applications.
Your success is our business!