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Are you looking to permanently immigrate to Canada? Are you qualified in a skilled trade? If the answer to all these questions is yes, then look no further than the Canadian Federal Skilled Trades Program created by the Canadian government which seeks individuals like you. This program will be discussed further in depth below.
The federal skilled trades program was launched in the January of 2013 and allows those who are skilled in trades to obtain permanent residency in Canada to fill any labour shortages. But there are many requirements and steps you must meet and take in order to do so (discussed further below).
There are many requirements for Federal Skilled Trades to be eligible to apply and these requirements are:
Part time work experience can be equivalent to full-time work experience in certain circumstances. For example if you worked an average of 15 hours a week for two years part time, it can be equivalent to one year of full time work experience (15 hours x 52 weeks x 2 years= 1560 hours equivalent to one year of full time work experience).
You can also fulfill the full-time work experience by working at multiple jobs concurrently as long as you meet the requirement (i.e. working 15 hours at one workplace and 15 hours at the other).
The description of your work experience must fully match the NOC description in one of the groups above. If this does not happen, you will not be eligible and as a result you will be denied.
If you are interested in federal skilled trades, the first step would be to apply through the Express Entry. If approved, the CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) will issue you an Invitation to Apply (ITA) where you will have under 60 days to apply for permanent residency in Canada under the Federal Skill Trades route. These permanent resident applications are for the most part processed in less than six months thus making it faster than other permanent residency routes thus giving it the name Express Entry.
Introduced in the January of 2015, the Express Entry is a tool used by the CIC to help reduce the backlog of applications. As a result it reduces the processing times for these applications significantly. To use the Express Entry, you first create an Express Entry Profile online. Then you will be required to fill out an assessment/questionnaire that asks about things like your age, education, work experience, skill transferability, language fluency in English or French, adaptability, a job offer, etc. You would get the most points if you are in the age group of 20-29. Less than or older than that age group, your potential points you would receive would go down. To gain points in language fluency, you must either take a test for proficiency in English or French. In the English test, you must get at least CLB 5 in speaking and listening and at least CLB 4 in writing, and reading. For French language tests it would be at least NCLC 5 in speaking and listening, and at least NCLC 4 in writing and reading. These test results expire after two years. If you have a family member or spouse common-law partner, more points are given if they have a job, education, etc. If you have a job offer it must be validated by the HRSDC. Based on this questionnaire you will be ranked in a pool amongst the other candidates by using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
If you have Canadian work experience, the Canadian Experience Class allows you to use that experience to obtain permanent residency in Canada and the federal skilled worker program allows an employer to hire a skilled worker to fill any skill shortages.
If you cannot find a job, then it is not the end for you. You will have to register with Canada`s Job Bank. You can also promote yourself on other job boards or hire a recruiter to help you find a job. This will increase your chances further of being hired by an employer and as a result increasing your points. If you cannot find a job in Canada don’t worry you can still apply under the Express Entry Route but having a job offer in Canada increases chances for permanent residency in Canada.
Your Express Entry profile is valid for up to one year. If you do not receive an Invitation to Apply, then you can try again and create a new profile and re-enter the pool. Many times we have clients that attempt to file their own application and fail to meet certain requirements or forget to include important documentations with their application. Therefore, to increase your chance it is best to hire a representative or let them review your file prior to submission.
As an employer you can search for potential hires through job boards, private sector boards, etc. By doing this, you increase the chance of the worker gaining permanent residency in Canada. But you must also file a Labour Market Impact Assessment with the HRSDC and receive a positive result in order to hire that worker (no fees for this as it is for permanent residency). This is not required if the worker has a certificate of qualification that was issued by a province/territory or have a job offer for a full-time position.
In addition to this provinces can also use these job boards to hire a worker who can fulfill skill shortages in that particular province under the provincial nominee program (PNP).
There are other ways of coming to Canada if you are not eligible for either the federal skilled trades, Canadian experience class, or federal skilled. If you have a relative in Canada (i.e. a child, spouse/common-law/conjugal partner, etc.) they can sponsor you to come to Canada and you can gain permanent residency in Canada through this. You can also submit a regular permanent resident application. However these routes have longer processing times than receiving permanent residency through the economic programs under the Express Entry.
As a permanent resident of Canada, you will have most of the rights and freedoms of a Canadian citizen. These rights and freedoms will be guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Covered in this Charter, you will be allowed to work, relocate and study anywhere in Canada. Along with these rights, you must fulfill your duties as a permanent resident including paying taxes, being a lawful resident of Canada, etc. The permanent resident card usually lasts for 5 years, but you must send in the application to renew it well in advance. This can also lead to Canadian citizenship.
Many clients have come to us not knowing how to deal with the new Express Entry program and how to apply for the federal skilled program as a result. We at Akrami and Associates have successfully guided these clients through the process from beginning till end and we can help you too. We can be reached at (416) 477-2545 or our toll free number at 1-877-820-7121, and email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Purchase our immigration kits available on federal skilled trades if you are looking to do the whole process on your own without legal representation. These kits are very detailed, understandable and guide you throughout the process step by step. For more details on these kits, do not hesitate to contact our firm.
With Akrami and Associates, there is always a way!
