Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)

Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) is prescribed as a class of applicants who may become permanent residents on the basis of their ability to become economically established in Canada workers in a skilled trade occupation.

From January 1, 2015, the Federal Skilled Trades Class applications are being processed through the Express Entry Immigration System. Eligible applicants must first make an expression of interest to immigrate to Canada through the Express Entry selection system.

The Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) allows individuals with a Valid offer of employment or a certificate of qualification in a skilled trade to gain Canadian permanent residence in Canadian.

To be able to qualify for Permanent Resident Visa, A Federal Skilled Trades applicant must:

• Intend to reside in a province other than the province of Quebec;
• Meet the minimum language proficiency threshold set by the Minister in English or French- Canadian Level Benchmark (CLB) 5 for speaking and listening, CLB 4 for reading and writing;
• Have acquired at least two years (24 months) of full-time work experience in the skilled trade in the last five years;
• Have the relevant skills and experience of that trade & demonstrate that they have performed the essential duties of the occupation as set out in the NOC; and
• Have an offer of full-time employment for a duration of at least one year from up to two employers Or hold a Certificate of Qualification from a provincial or territorial authority;

There are a total of 90 eligible occupations in this class.

The Eligible Occupations fall into the following General Categories:

• Industrial, electrical and construction trades;
• Maintenance and equipment operation trades;
• Supervisors and technical occupations in national resources, agriculture and related production;
• Processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators;
• Chefs and cooks; and
• Butchers and bakers.