The Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Class refers to a class of persons who might become permanent residents based on their ability to economically establish themselves in Canada as workers in a skilled trade occupation (refer to Appendix A). In addition, these individuals would need to meet the following criteria. They would need to:

• Have the intention of residing in a province other than the province of Quebec
• Meet the minimum language proficiency threshold (refer to Appendix B) stipulated by the Minister for proficiency in English or French for each of the four language skill areas i.e. reading, writing, listening and speaking
• Have acquired at least two years of full-time work experience (or the equivalent in part-time work experience) in the skilled trade occupation specified in the application for permanent residence during the five years prior to the date of the application
  • The applicant would need to have acquired this work experience after becoming qualified to practise that occupation on an independent basis, in accordance with the regulations in place where the applicant performed the specific work
• Have met the relevant employment requirements of that skilled trade occupation as specified in the National Occupation Classification (NOC) – barring the requirement to obtain a certificate of qualification issued by a competent provincial authority (refer to Appendix C)
• Have an offer of employment for continuous full-time work for a total duration of at least one year from up to two employers in that skilled trade occupation or hold a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade from a Canadian provincial or territorial authority

Officers might feel the need to go through the requirements for membership in the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Class in a detailed manner. For this, they would need to refer to the details specified in R87.2 (3) – refer to Appendix D.

The officers would need to assess applicants against each of the selection criteria specified below (based on a pass or fail test). Typically, they would carry out this assessment based on the information and documents provided in the application.

Selection Criteria – The Required Work Experience in a Skilled Trade Occupation

Selection Criteria – The Employment Requirements in a Skilled Trade Occupation

Selection Criteria – The Settlement Funds

All applicants would need to meet the selection criteria specified in R87.2 (3) – refer to Appendix D. However, the applicant would also need to have sufficient funds (refer to Appendix I) available for settlement in Canada, based on the provisions specified in R87.2 (5). The authorities could consider waiving this requirement if the applicant has an offer of employment as defined in:

• R87.2 (3) (d) (ii)
• R87.2 (3) (d) (iii) and,
• R87.2 (3) (d) (iv)

It is worth noting that the funds would need to be:

• Available and transferable
• Unencumbered by debts or any other obligations and,
• Sufficient for supporting the initial establishment in Canada

The authorities determine funds to be sufficient based on the applicant’s family size. This includes both accompanying and non-accompanying dependents. Typically, they use 50 percent of the current Low Income Cut Off (LICO) for urban areas that have a population of 500,000 or more.

In case the applicant is unable to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds for meeting the requirements, the officers would need to refuse the application.

Persons interested in applying under the Federal Skilled Trades Class are invited to communicate with us at their convenience and/or to complete an assessment questionnaire. Upon receipt we will assess your options.

Source: Citizenship and Immigration