SURREY, B.C. - Journeypersons who earned their Red Seal certification on or after April 1, 2025 will be able to apply for a $5,000 federal completion bonus starting November 16, 2026, Employment and Social Development Canada announced on October 23. The Red Seal Completion Bonus is part of the federal government’s $8 billion Team Canada Strong investment in the skilled trades.
Who qualifies
To be eligible, applicants must have completed an apprenticeship and obtained certification in a designated Red Seal trade on or after April 1, 2025. Applicants must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a protected person, and must not currently be attending high school.
What to gather now
The department is encouraging eligible applicants to prepare before the portal opens on November 16. Required documents and information include:
- Social Insurance Number (permanent residents whose SIN begins with 9, and protected persons, must also provide proof of status in Canada)
- Mailing address, and an email address (optional but recommended)
- Banking information for direct deposit
- Red Seal trade name and certification date
- Province or territory of certification
- Apprentice identification number
All required documents must be submitted within 28 calendar days of starting an application, or a new application will be needed.
Deadlines
If your certification date falls between April 1, 2025 and November 15, 2026, you must apply by May 31, 2027. For certifications obtained on or after November 16, 2026, applications must be received within 12 months of the certification date.
The bigger push for trades workers
The bonus sits inside the Team Canada Strong initiative, which aims to recruit, train and hire 80,000 to 100,000 new Red Seal trades workers over the next five years. Ottawa says Canada will see more than 1.4 million job openings in the skilled trades between 2024 and 2033, driven by home building, transit expansion and energy projects.
“There are good jobs waiting in the Red Seal trades, and not enough certified workers to fill them,” said Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu. “Earning a Red Seal takes time and hard work, and we want more apprentices to see it through.”
For Surrey families, where the trades are a major career path and construction hiring stays strong, the bonus is money worth claiming on time. Details on designated Red Seal trades and the application portal are at Canada.ca/skilled-trades.
Source: Employment and Social Development Canada news release, October 23, 2026
