How to Immigrate to Canada as a Tradesperson
When looking to immigrate to Canada as a Tradesperson you need to ensure that you will be able to meet all of the requirements of the Federal Skilled Trades program.
The main requirements to immigrate to Canada as a member of the Federal Skilled Trades Program are as follows:
- At least two years of work experience in a skilled trade in the past 5 years and;
- Have a job offer from a Canadian employer of at least one year OR a Canadian skilled trade certificate or qualification
- High enough score on an approved language test for your specific occupation
To obtain a job offer from a Canadian employer which would allow you to move to Canada you first need to find a Canadian employer who is willing to hire you and then that Canadian employer needs to obtain what is a called a Labour Market Impact Assessment in order for you to proceed. The basic overview of the requirements of a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) are as follows:
- Advertise the position for a minimum of four weeks before applying for the LMIA and continuing to run the add throughout the process
- Pay the Government fee of $1,000 for a Dual Intent LMIA
- Offer a salary in line with local wages in the specified occupation
- Be willing to provide a Transition Plan if necessary. They identify the activities an employer is agreeing to undertake to recruit, retain and train Canadians/permanent residents and to assist TFWs to become permanent residents, if a positive opinion is issued. The Transition Plan activities begin, once the positive opinion has been issued, and must occur throughout the duration of the employment period.
- Provide proof of their business registration
- Be willing to undergo a site visit if necessary
To obtain a Canadian trade certificate or qualification you need to first decide on which Province you wish to work in. Next you would need to find out if your trade is regulated in that specific province. If it is you may be able to apply to challenge the appropriate Canadian trade test. Some provinces will only allow you to do so if you have already moved to Canada or are in Canada on legal status.
If you have a Canadian trades certificate or qualification, in some cases it can only be used in one province and certain testing would need to be done in order for you to transfer this certificate or qualification to work in another Canadian province.
It is for this reason that you would need to be sure which province you wish to work and live in after immigrating to Canada to avoid any extra testing. As once you move to Canada you do not want any extra surprises.
The process of immigrating to Canada as a Federal Skilled Tradesperson can be lengthy and complicated.
If you would like to move to Canada and think you may be eligible to meet the requirements of the Federal Skilled Trades Program please contact us and we can assist you in determining your options. Or you can complete a free eligibility assessment below!
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