Federal Skilled Trades Class FSTC

Permanent Residency Through Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)

The Federal Skilled Trades Class allows persons with the appropriate jobs and/or occupations that meet the eligibility criteria to immigrate to Canada through the Express Entry selection program. The program allows individuals in such jobs and/or occupations to obtain Permanent Residency in any province in Canada except for Quebec. If you are a Canadian employer, you can help improve a potential candidate’s chance by offering a qualifying job offer through arranged employment and with the appropriate documents such as a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Federal Skilled Trades Program Selection Criteria

To be eligible for the Federal Skilled Trades Program, applicants must qualify for the following:

• Candidates must have an offer for full time employment for a total period lasting at least one years or a certificate of qualification for the respective skilled trade field issued by an authorized body from the province or territory

Candidates must also meet the following requirements:

• Have a valid language test result or certificate from a recognized third party organization that proves you have adequate proficiency meeting the language requirements;

• Have a minimum of two years of practical and acceptable experience in the five years just before the date of application

• Meet all the job requirements of the applied skilled trade as set out in the National Occupation Code (NOC)

Invitation to Apply

Candidates for a skilled trade will be assessed against other candidate in the application pool. Candidates will be ranked based on their newcomers’ success contribution to Canada. Only the highest ranking candidates will be invited to apply for permanent residence – these candidates must also have valid job offers or nominations from provinces or territories. Under the Federal Skilled Trades Program, Candidates will have 60 days to apply for permanent residence.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada will assess all applications for permanent residence in less than six months.

Express Entry Program

The Express Entry program manages applications for permanent residence for candidates that fall under the following economic immigration programs:

• Federal Skilled Workers Program

• Federal Skilled Trades Program

• The Canadian Experience Class

In order to meet the demands of the local labour market needs, Provinces and territories of Canada can choose to recruit candidates from the Express Entry system through the Provincial Nominee Program

There are two steps for the Express Entry Application Process

Step 1 – Interested applicants should complete an online Express Entry profile form

• Candidates must complete an online application form called the Express Entry profile. This is a form that will provide the relevant authorities information regarding their criteria such as:

• Skills and qualifications

• Work experience in relevant field

• Proficiency in experience

• Education background

• Any extra information that will help authorities to assess candidates’ situations and/or improve their chances of success

Those who meet the requirements set out regarding the above selection choices will be accepted into a pool of candidates. Candidates should have a job offer accompanied by a supporting and relevant Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application or a nomination from different provinces and territories. Candidates who do not meet such requirements should register with Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC) Job Bank in order to meet with potential employers in Canada who are looking for eligible applicants.

Employers who are hiring workers through the Express Entry program must have a valid Labour Market Impact Assessment, LMIA application, from Employment and Social Development Canada. The Labour Market Impact Assessment ensures employers put in their maximum effort in advertising the available job to the local job market such that all efforts have been exhausted in promoting the job to Canadian citizens and permanent residents and no suitable candidates were found.

Step 2 – Highest ranking candidates from the candidate pool will be invited to apply for permanent residence

A point based ranking system called the Comprehensive Ranking System will be used to rank candidates from the candidate pool. Points will be awarded based on the information provided by the candidate on their Express Entry form. Candidate with high scores after the ranking will be invited to apply for permanent residence. Points will be awarded to candidates based on the following:

• Whether candidates have an appropriate job offer, and/or

• Whether the candidate was nominated for permanent residency by a province or territory

• How much skill and how many qualifications the candidate has

• The amount of practical and applicable work experience work experience the candidate has that is related to the applied field of occupation

A candidate can be awarded additional points depending on:

• If the job offered or the job applied for is supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)

• If the candidate was nominated by a province or territory for permanent residence

If a candidate is awarded additional points based on the above two points, then those points will count to the next time candidates are invited to apply for permanent residence.

If a candidate is invited to apply for permanent residence, he/she will have 60 days to complete an online application to submit for permanent residence.

Documents which have all the necessary documents and supporting applications will be assessed and processed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada in six months or less.

An applicant will stay in the candidate pool for a period of 12 months. If during those 12months applicants do not receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence after submitting their Express Entry application, they may submit a new profile. If upon resubmission, applicants still meet the requirements, they will be put back into the pool of potential candidates. This ensures efficiency and prevents any back logs, as well as making sure processing times are quick.

Contact Akrami & Associates

To see if you eligible for the Canadian Express Entry programs through the Federal Skill Trades program or the Federal Skill Workers Program or the Canadian Experience Class program, contact as reputable immigration law firm such as Akrami and Associates and book a consultation today to check the best route for obtaining your permanent residency.

With Akrami and Associates there is always a way!!