August 19, 2013

Canada Welcomes New Permanent Residents of Federal Skilled Trades Program

Posted by: Alexa Woods

On August 16th, 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and Employment and Social Development Minister Jason Kenney welcomed two of the first applicants to achieve permanent resident status under the new Federal Skilled Trades Program.
The Federal Skilled Trades Program was launched in January 2013 with the aim to facilitate immigration of skilled tradespeople who would meet the requirements to fill Canada’s industry requests, particularily in the fields of natural resources and construction. Applicants are assessed on ability to meet these requirements through past experience and language ability rather than formal academic education. In hopes to attract successful candidates, the government aims to process the applications as quickly as possible, ideally within several months of applying.
The program, along with other recent changes to economic immigration programs, supports the Economic Action Plan 2013 in creating a more efficient an flexible immigration system that focuses specifically on economic and labour market needs.
To date, successful applicants of the Federal Skilled Trades Program have originated from India, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany and Ireland as well as others.

Click here for more information on the Federal Skilled Trades Program.