Workers who specialize in certain trades have a chance at getting their permanent residency thanks to Canada’s updated Express Entry system.
This comes after the federal government announced in May that there would be changes to Express Entry with a category-based selection in order to help address labour shortages.
In a statement published earlier this week, Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, announced the first round of category-based invitations open this week for those in trades.
This round will focus on candidates with expertise in trades such as carpentry, plumbing, and welding.
“It’s absolutely critical to address the shortage of skilled trades workers in our country, and part of the solution is helping the construction sector find and maintain the workers it needs,” said Miller in a statement.
“This round of category-based selection recognizes these skilled trades workers as essential, and I look forward to welcoming more of these talented individuals to Canada.”
Other category selections for the Express Entry program categories prioritized by the federal government this year include French-language proficiency, healthcare, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) jobs, transportation, agriculture and agrifood.
In order to be eligible for the category-based rounds of invitations for trades, individuals must have at least six months of full-time continuous work experience or an equal amount of part-time work experience in the past three years.
The draw is specific to 10 trade categories listed on the federal government’s website.
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