If you’re looking to immigrate to Canada as a Carpenter you’re in luck! Carpenters are in demand right across Canada and you may be able to secure a Canadian Permanent Residency Visa either with or without a job offer.
No doubt you will have read online that having a job offer to move to Canada is a prerequisite to accessing the Express Entry process but as a carpenter, you also have other options to secure your Canada Visa from the start.
For starters, Carpenters are eligible to apply to immigrate to Canada under the Canadian Government’s Immigration program due to the demand for Carpenters in Canada being so great they have included the occupation on the targeted occupations list, known as the NOC list (National Occupation Code List).
This is great news for qualified Carpenters the world over hoping to live and work in Canada.
Express Entry for Canada is not a visa class at all, it is simply the method (or database) that Canadian Immigration uses to select the right candidates for a permanent residency visa and in that case, as  a carpenter looking to immigrate to Canada we’ll be looking at the Federal Skilled Trades visa and Provincial Nominee program.
Carpenters from all over the world are eligible to make an Express Entry for Carpenters Canada Residency providing they have the right skills, experience and qualifications in their home country.
Carpenters looking to move to Canada to work under this NOC category 7271, might be employed under work titles including:
metal framer – carpentry
apprentice carpenter
carpenter
maintenance carpenter
stair builder-carpenter
rough carpenter
finish carpenter
journeyman/woman carpenter
carpenter-joiner
renovation carpenter
All these roles held by carpenters are eligible to apply under this specific NOC category of 7271
In general, carpenters moving to Canada will be able to demonstrate knowledge or experience of the following:
Read and interpret blueprints, drawings and sketches to determine specifications and calculate requirements
Prepare layouts in conformance to building codes, using measuring tools
Measure, cut, shape, assemble and join materials made of wood, wood substitutes, lightweight steel and other materials
Build foundations, install floor beams, lay subflooring and erect walls and roof systems
Fit and install trim items, such as doors, stairs, moulding and hardware
Maintain, repair and renovate residences and wooden structures in mills, mines, hospitals, industrial plants and other establishments
Supervise apprentices and other construction workers
May prepare cost estimates for clients.
Emigrate Canada has a dedicated Carpenters Canada desk that only represents qualified carpenters immigrate to Canada. They understand your profession and can talk your language when it comes to explaining your immigration pathway and the route to securing a Canada Visa for you (and your family).
In the UK, for example, we’ll be looking for NVQ Level III
From South Africa, you will be expected to hold your Red Seal
We’re happy to represent Carpenter clients from all over the World so regardless of your country of qualification feel free to contact us today for a full breakdown of your Canadian Immigration chances.
The first stage in your Canadian immigration process is to calculate your Canada Immigration points for Express Entry using the Canadian Comprehensive Ranking System.
CRS Points are awarded for (amongst other things)
Age
Qualifications
English ability
French ability
Your partner’s skills
Work experience
As well as providing you with important CRS points these factors also count towards your overall Immigration Points score which must equal or exceed a total of 67
Once you receive an ITA (Invitation to apply) from Canadian Immigration as a result of your Express Entry application you’ll only have 60 days in which to lodge a formal application so under no circumstances should you lodge an Express Entry application ‘claiming’ to have certain points without first having all of your points verified through different testing, education equivalence certificates and skilled trades assessments.
Once you are invited to apply for your Canada Visa you cannot go back and have these things verified retrospectively, they must be done before you claim any points for them and given that your express entry profile is only valid for one year it makes sense to present the best possible case right from the start.
The process of getting your carpentry skills, experience and qualifications verified is called Skills Assessment and it serves two purposes.
Canada Carpenter Skills Assessment purpose one: With a positive skills assessment you’ll be able to claim the requisite points on both the Express Entry CRS and eventual Federal Skilled Trades application.
Canada Carpenter Skills Assessment purpose two: Your positive skills assessment will also double as your Red Seal qualification so having your carpentry skills assessed means that you’ll be qualified to work as a carpenter in Canada from day one.
As part of your immigration process, your dedicated Carpenters Canada account manager will arrange for your Red Seal equivalency process so there’s no need to worry about how to move to Canada; we’ll have you covered from the moment you get the ball rolling.
The answer is a resounding yes, providing you have a reasonable total CRS score on your Express Entry application and can meet the 67 immigration point threshold for your Canada Federal Skilled Trades Visa.
Technically there is no minimum CRS score required to submit a Carpenter Canada Express Entry profile.
Of course, securing a job offer (documented in the right way for immigration purposes i.e. LMT) will give you an instant CRS boost of 600 points so it makes sense to start this process as soon as is practical.
Occupations on the Canada NOC list can be classed as being ‘in demand’ and the carpenter’s code 7271 has been firmly established on the list for many years with lots of opportunities right across the country.
As a qualified new and highly skilled Permanent resident of Canada, you may work full time from day one, either as a direct employee, contractor or in a self-employed capacity. Carpenter jobs in Canada are often better paid than in the UK, Europe and Asia and Canadian employment law respects the work-life balance. Additionally, Carpenters in Canada are highly unionised which whilst sounds like a dirty word in many parts of the world is actually instrumental in championing better pay and conditions right across the County.
The overarching Union body for Carpenters in Canada is the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, which has 16 affiliated local Unions across Canada, including the British Columbia Regional Council of Carpenters, The Carpenters District Council of Ontario, and Atlantic Canada Regional Council of Carpenters plus others.
Emigrate Canada are the Carpenter Canada Visa specialists with a dedicated Skilled Trades desk ideally placed to take care of not just your immigration paperwork, but also to get you registered to work from day one.
Move to Canada as a Carpenter, there has never been a better time.