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Updated on May 22, 2024
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We’ve created this resource to be a comprehensive guide to moving to Canada to work in the Skilled Trades industry. We’ll cover immigrating, settling in Canada and finding work, including answers to frequently asked questions for tradespersons.
After all, there are warmer destinations to choose from, right?
Well, first of all, Canada is a pretty special place. It has incredible access to nature, a high quality of life, it’s relatively safe, and it’s a four-season playground. Couple this with access to quality education and healthcare and Canada’s reputation for multiculturalism and diversity, and it’s easy to see why trade workers are choosing Canada.
Canada is also seeing extremely high demand for skilled trade workers. As outlined above, Canada’s federal government highlights the need for more than 250,000 new apprentice workers in Canada to meet demand. Meanwhile, Ontario’s government anticipates that 1 in 6 job openings will be in the skilled trades by 2026.
“Given the chronic labour shortages in skilled trades over the last decade and the positive outlook for the construction sector, there continues to be huge opportunities for stable long-term employment in skilled trades from coast to coast. For anyone considering immigrating to work in Canada in the skills trades sector, Canada’s demand isn’t likely to go away. From the aging population, low number of Canadians entering skilled trades, and high demand for construction, in part due to the housing shortage and infrastructure deficit, there is an extremely strong, long-term demand for trades workers.” – Ruairi Spillane, Managing Director at Outpost Recruitment
As a result, immigration pathways are generally accessible for skilled tradespeople, especially at the provincial level — more on that later. Further, Canada also offers relative job security and room for growth within skilled trades occupations. Competitive salaries are a cherry on top, too.
Finally, Canada’s immigration pathways also offer options for family members of skilled trades workers to come to Canada too. And in contrast to some other popular destinations for tradespersons, accompanying family members of tradespeople moving to Canada enjoy access to public services such as education and healthcare.
There is an extremely long list of skilled trades in demand in Canada. We have listed some here, but if you don’t see your trade listed, don’t worry. It doesn’t mean it’s not in demand or that you can’t come to Canada. This list is just a small cross-section of in-demand trades.
Here are some of the most in demand skilled trades across the whole of Canada, according to Canada’s federal government:
These skilled trades are in strong demand in certain provinces:
But, there are a host of other trades workers in demand in Canada. We see proof of this each month in the provincial immigration draw results. These provincial draws send out thousands of targeted invitations to skilled trades workers, inviting them to apply to become permanent residents in Canada.
These are some of the highest paying skilled trades occupations in Canada, based on the high wage listed in Canada’s Job Bank:
In addition to competitive salaries, skilled trades workers may receive the following benefits from their employer in Canada:
Canada offers permanent and temporary immigration pathways for skilled trades workers at the federal level, such as through the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and at the provincial level.
If you’re interested in learning more about permanent residence pathways and temporary residence pathways, including the pros and cons of each, read our earlier article about TR or PR in Canada.
Canada’s Federal Express Entry is an immigration application management system that it uses to rank and invite economic migrants. One of the three primary pathways available through this system is the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
The program targets workers who have experience working in the following categories of Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) system:
A full list of which occupations within these groups may be eligible for the Federal Skilled Trades Program is available here.
Applicants who wish to apply using this pathway are ranked based on the following criteria: work experience, age, job offer, language proficiency, and education. They will receive a number of points based on the above factors, which will then determine their position in the queue of Express Entry candidates.
Due to the nature of skilled trades work, it is likely that many skilled trades workers may not qualify for an invitation in Canada’s Express Entry rounds of invitations unless they also qualify for a certain category-based round. Helpfully, there is a category for trade occupations, which requires workers to have at least 6 months of work experience within the past 3 years in one of the occupations listed in the table below. However, just 5% of Express Entry invitations are expected to be allocated to trades occupations in 2024 (or around 5,500 to 5,850 invitations). So, immigrating through Provincial Nominee Programs may be a more streamlined process.
Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) offer options for skilled trades workers looking to immigrate to Canada to work. In fact, Statistics Canada notes that 34% of individuals gaining permanent residence through Canada’s PNP are skilled or technical trades workers. And, the PNPs now edge out Express Entry as the primary economic pathway to Canada. So this pathway is a popular option for trades workers.
There are two significant advantages to immigrating via Canada’s PNP:
Each province has its own program, and each program contains numerous streams — different ways to settle in a given province for different types of workers. The eligibility and application process is different for each province. So, the eligibility and application process will vary depending on the province you apply to. Generally speaking, you may need the following to apply:
It is worth noting that some provinces attract higher numbers of skilled trades workers through their PNPs, namely Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Manitoba attracts a higher proportion of workers in NOC skill level C or D occupations. This means that immigrating to these provinces may be easier for trades workers (depending on your experience, education, language proficiency, and other individual factors).
This is particularly important for those opting for the temporary resident to permanent residence two-step immigration process. It’s crucial to consider your longer-term immigration pathways when accepting your initial job offer on your temporary work permit.
Skilled trades workers can also apply to work in Canada through employer sponsorship. This typically required the employer to apply for and receive a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This serves as proof that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job in Canada.
The typical process for employer-sponsored immigration to Canada is:
Some trades workers may be able to come to Canada via the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. IEC is a series of temporary work permits that provide young people from select countries with the opportunity to work and travel in Canada, typically for 1-2 years. The most well-known program is the working holiday visa, but there are other streams including the Young Professionals and International Co-op permits.
You can track who is being invited to apply to these IEC categories in real time with the popular IEC news page, updated weekly.
Eligible trades workers can come to Canada, get licensed, and gain work experience on their IEC work permit. From there, it’s possible to apply for permanent residence via one of Canada’s PNPs or for Express Entry, if you meet eligibility criteria.
You may need to get re-accredited or licensed in Canada. These certifications are managed at the provincial or territorial level, which means that moving from one province to another may mean you need to get re-accredited. It also means that the process for licensing looks very different in each province or territory.
Here are the steps we recommend for determining what the accreditation process looks like in Canada:
This might seem simple if you’ve already been offered a job and you’re immigrating using an LMIA or other temporary work permit (such as the IEC program). However, it’s worthwhile looking into your immigration pathways options and career opportunities based on where you live and work long before you accept the position and start your life in Canada.
We recommend looking into:
It can be extremely helpful at this point to gather information about staying longer term. You might consider:
You will need to do individual research for your specific trade based on the province you plan to work in to determine whether it is regulated or non-regulated. This list outlines some generalities, but is not guaranteed to be accurate in every province or territory in Canada. It is also not a complete list.
Generally, electricians, plumbers, automotive mechanics, plumbers, HVAC technicians, and other trades positions that tend to require an apprenticeship and training period are more likely to have formal regulation requirements. Regulated positions are also more likely to be considered NOC TEER 2 occupations, typically requiring a college diploma, apprenticeship training of 2 or more years, or supervisory occupations.
Painters, general labourers, landscapers, drywall installers, and flooring installers may not be regulated at the provincial or territorial level. That being said, there may still be licencing or accreditation options. And getting licenced or accredited can open the door to better career growth opportunities and increased earnings. These positions are more likely to be NOC TEER 3, 4 or 5 occupations that typically don’t require higher education or training levels.
This step applies if your trade is a regulated trade or if you are interested in licencing to increase your earning and career growth potential.
Your ability to get licenced in Canada based on your out-of-country experience and training depends on a number of factors including:
It’s important to note that your ability to get licenced in Canada may impact your ability to get a work permit based on an LMIA if you work in a regulated profession.
IRCC requires that trades workers in regulated occupations must either already have the required licence or be able to obtain it within 4 months of landing in Canada. Four months can go by quite quickly, so it’s important that you contact the licencing body so you can meet the requirements within this timeframe.
The ideal outcome is that you will receive a positive LMIA to work in a regulated position since this will typically come with higher earnings and an easier path to permanent residence in Canada.
However, there are options if you’ve contacted the licencing body and it is not realistic for you to meet the requirements to get licenced within four months. You can:
Finally, some good news about licencing: The federal government has announced that $25 million will be dedicated to streamlining foreign credential recognition in the construction industry.
Newcomers looking to work in construction occupations should expect changes that make it easier to come to Canada and start working in a professional setting with recognised foreign credentials in the near future.
Canada’s Red Seal is an endorsement on your provincial or territorial trade certificate which allows you to practice your trade across Canada. The Red Seal achieves this by setting a standard of excellence for industry skills, which provinces and territories have agreed to accept.
To receive your Red Seal endorsement, you must first meet the requirements of the apprenticeship and certification body in your province or territory (yes, they’re different again depending on where you work). Once you have, you will write an exam and, if you pass, you’ll receive the endorsement. Some call it ‘the last exam’ for trades workers.
We mentioned this above, but it’s extremely important so it’s worth mentioning again: If you are coming to Canada on a temporary work permit (via a two-step immigration process), you should start planning your immigration pathway before you accept your job in Canada.
The one major drawback of two-step immigration is that your future in Canada is not guaranteed. You are not automatically eligible for permanent residency in Canada just because you have worked here for a number of years on a temporary work permit. So it’s crucial that you map out your pathway early if you want to stay long term.
Challenges we are currently seeing skilled trades workers face in their journey to permanent residence include:
Our partner Canada InfoNet provides free support for trades workers who have been approved to immigrate to Canada in the next 2 to 12 months. The program is delivered entirely online over the course of 8 weeks.
Newcomers can participate in an employment acceleration and mentorship program, after which Canada InfoNet can work with you to find employment in your field in any province.
Here are the steps in Canada InfoNet’s free program:
Even with a skills shortage and strong demand in many trades in Canada, you will need to prepare and persevere to find skilled trades work in Canada. Services like those offered by Canada InfoNet can help, but there are plenty of steps you will need to take independently to find a job in Canada.
If you want to find a job before you land in Canada, we recommend checking out our guide on the topic. It outlines the pros and cons of looking for a job before you move to Canada, and it outlines a host of actionable steps that can help you succeed in Canada’s job market from abroad.
We have also published a guide for newcomers looking to work in Canada. This guide highlights that a successful job search in Canada begins with a professional resume tailored to Canadian standards. It also details what a strong cover letter and LinkedIn profile look like, as well as how networking can help and what the hidden job market is.
Finally, a Moving2Canada account can help. We provide a range of free resources, including construction job opportunities from our sister site Outpost Recruitment, a Canadian resume template, and roadmaps for healthcare, finances, and immigration. Sign up for your free Moving2Canada account.
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