ONTARIO PNP (OINP) FEDERAL SKILLED TRADES PROGRAM

To meet the work experience eligibility requirement for this stream, a candidate must have at least 2 years of full-time work experience within the 5 years before the application. This work experience must be in a skilled trade. These trades include the following NOC groups: 

• Ontario Major Groups 72 (excluding occupations under transportation officers),
• 73,
• 82,
• 83,
• 93 (excluding aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors)
• Minor Group 6320 (excluding cooks)

Work experience will not be eligible if the experience does not align with the description of the NOC, or if the applicant did not have the qualifications to practice the trade independently. Moreover, work experience will be counted toward eligibility as long as it was paid in wages or commission (volunteer work will not be considered sufficient) 

Candidates are required to have either 

• A valid job offer that is for full-time work and at least for 1 year or
• Certificate of qualification that was issued in Canada 

A qualification certificate serves as evidence of your eligibility to work in a specific skilled trade within Canada. This implies that you have successfully completed a certification examination and satisfied all the prerequisites to practice your trade in the province or territory that granted the certificate. This certification is issued either by the provincial or territorial governing body responsible for trades within their jurisdiction or by a federal authority. The nomenclature of the certificate may vary, being referred to as either a “certificate of qualification” or a “qualification certificate,” contingent upon the issuing body. To obtain this certificate, the provincial, territorial, or federal authority must evaluate your training, trade experience, and skills to determine your eligibility to undertake a certification examination. The assessment process is conducted by the province or territory, each of which has its distinct requirements and procedures for obtaining a certificate of qualification. This may entail a visit to the respective province or territory for the assessment of your trade, and in some cases, you may require the sponsorship of an employer in Canada to provide you with the necessary experience and training. If it is not possible to obtain a certificate in the candidate’s province, then a valid job offer will be needed to meet the eligibility requirements.

Candidates must also show appropriate command of one of the official languages in Canada: English or French. For this stream, candidates must be at a level of: 

• English – Reading/Writing CLB 4 and Speaking/Listening CLB 5 
• French – Reading/Writing NCLC 4 and Speaking/Listening NCLC 5 

For the Federal Skilled Trades program, there is no education requirement. However, it can be a way for candidates to boost their scores in the Express Entry pool. This can be done in two ways: 

• If the candidate attended school in Canada, they may be eligible to receive points as long as they have a certificate or a diploma from a secondary institution or a post-secondary institution 
• If the candidate has foreign degrees, they can be used to obtain points as long as the candidate has a completed educational credential that has passed an educational credential assessment (ECA)  proving its equivalence to a Canadian degree or a certificate. 

It is required to show enough funds to relocate to Canada for both the applicant and any family member joining, unless: 

• The candidate can legally work in Canada 
• The candidate has a valid job offer in Canada

If either of these two applies to the candidate, there is no necessary minimum amount that they must show to the government within their application.