Canadian immigration program
Express Entry — Federal Skilled Trades
The Federal Skilled Trades Program is the Express Entry stream for qualified tradespeople. Eligibility rests on qualifying trade experience, a language result and either a job offer or a certificate of qualification. Each criterion below is quoted from the regulation and IRCC guidance that governs it.
Sources on this page last verified Jul 16, 2026.
Eligibility criteria
The requirements below are drawn directly from the governing regulation and IRCC program guidance for Express Entry — Federal Skilled Trades. Each is anchored to the verbatim source text, not a paraphrase, so you can read the rule as it is written and follow it to the official page.
“Required: - a valid [job offer of full-time employment](/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/job-offer.html) for a total period of at least 1 year, **or** - a [certificate of qualification](/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/who-can-apply/federal-skilled-trades.html#certificate) in the above skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority”
“You must have either: a valid job offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least 1 year, or a certificate of qualification in your skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority”
“You must: take approved language tests in English or French meet the minimum score in all 4 abilities: writing reading listening speaking”
“CLB 4 for reading and writing”
“CLB 5 for speaking and listening”
“show that you performed: the actions in the lead statement of the NOC job description, and most of the main duties listed”
“Your skilled work experience must: all be in the same NOC and be in 1 of these NOC groups: Major Groups 72 (excluding Sub-Major Group 726), 73, 82, 83, 92, or 93 (excluding Sub-Major Group 932) Minor Group 6320 Unit Group 62200”
“meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the NOC”
“be paid work You must have been paid wages or earned commission (volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count).”
“You must show that you have enough money for you and your family to settle in Canada. You don't need proof of funds if you: are currently able to legally work in Canada, and have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada”
“have been obtained in a country where you were qualified to practice”
“2 years within the last 5 years (either combination of full-time or part-time work)”
“be at least 2 years of full-time work experience (or 3,120 hours total) in a skilled trade within the 5 years before you apply”
“Work experience in a skilled trade under key groups of TEER 2 or TEER 3”
Documents and eligibility gates
Every requirement below is quoted verbatim from the official source and linked back to it. Navisa reads and cites the governing text rather than restating a document name from memory. This is a reference summary, not immigration advice, and it does not replace review by a licensed RCIC.
“CLB 4 for reading and writing”
“CLB 5 for speaking and listening”
“be at least 2 years of full-time work experience (or 3,120 hours total) in a skilled trade within the 5 years before you apply”
“CLB 5 for TEER 2 or TEER 3 occupations”
“Work experience in a skilled trade under key groups of TEER 2 or TEER 3”
“CLB 7 for TEER 0 or TEER 1 occupations”
“Work experience in an occupation listed in 1 of these NOC TEER Categories: - TEER 0 - TEER 1 - TEER 2 - TEER 3”
“certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian high school or post-secondary institution”
“a certificate of qualification in your skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority”
“a certificate of qualification in the above skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority”
“educational credential assessment report for immigration purposes”
“a valid job offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least 1 year”
“a valid job offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least 1 year”
“take approved language tests in English or French”
“approved language tests in English or French”
“In most cases, your employer needs a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to support your job offer for Express Entry.”
“a passport or travel document”
“Most applicants will also need to upload: police certificates”
“You must show that you have enough money for you and your family to settle in Canada.”
“proof of work experience (such as a reference or experience letter from an employer)”
“When you apply online, you’ll need to provide one of those documents.”
Recent policy changes affecting this program
Tracked changes Navisa has tagged to this program, dated and cited to their official source.
Find IRCC application forms and instructions - Canada.ca
IRCC has updated form IMM 0017 (Letter of explanation – Open work permit for vulnerable workers), changing its modification date from 2025-12 to 2026-07. Pra…
Updates - Canada.ca
A new Program Delivery Update (PDU) has been added to the top of the list, dated July 15, 2026: "Temporary resident permit [R208(b) – H82] – Humanitarian rea…
The same engine reads your files against these rules
Navisa is an AI file-prep engine for Canadian immigration firms. It reads the documents on a file, cross-checks them, runs the eligibility analysis against retrieved official sources, and flags what an officer would — citations attached. It does not replace the judgment of a licensed immigration professional; a consultant reviews and approves the work.
Run a file through it