Canada Experience Class
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Eligibility to apply for the Canadian Experience Class (Express Entry)
This program has been designed for skilled workers who have Canadian work experience and are looking to become permanent residents.
Minimum Requirements
You must:
We will allot you a dedicated overseas job consultant who will work with you by guiding you with the process and relevant job search.
- Meet the required language levels for each ability
- Writing
- Reading
- Listening
- Speaking
- Have at least one year of skilled work experience in Canada in the last three years before applying for PR.
- have gained your work experience by working in Canada while under temporary resident status with authorization to work
You’re not eligible for the Canadian Experience Class if:
- you’re a refugee claimant in Canada
- you’re working without authorization
- your work experience was gained without temporary resident status in Canada
Note: Self-employment and work experience gained while you were a full-time student does not count towards the minimum requirements for this program.
Education
There is no education requirement for the Canadian Experience Class.
However, if you want to improve your ranking, you can show (if you have):
- a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian secondary institution (high school) or post-secondary institution OR
- If you have foreign education. You can get points for:
- a completed foreign credential,
- an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report showing that your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian secondary institution (high school) or post-secondary institution
Language Ability
To be eligible for Canada Experience Class, you must:
- meet the minimum language level of:
- Canadian Language Benchmark 7 for NOC 0 or A jobs, or
- Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for NOC B job
- Take a language test for
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking
- Listening
Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result and must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.
Admissibility
You must be admissible to Canada.
FAQs
To be eligible under the Canadian Experience Class, you must:
- Have at least one year of full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) skilled work experience in Canada in the three years before you apply
- meet or exceed the required language levels needed for the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level of your work experience in each language ability (speaking, reading, writing and listening).
You need to enter your profile in the Express Entry Pool to find out if you meet the minimum requirement criteria. Once you receive the invite, you need to:
- complete your application within 90 days
- Submit all relevant documents
- Pay all the required fees
- Pass a medical exam
- Get a police clearance certificate
The program has been designed for people who have skilled work experience in Canada
You are not eligible to apply under the Canadian Experience Class, if:
- You have gained work experience without a working visa (illegally)
- You have gained work experience in a job which is not classified as skill type 0, or skill level A or B
- If you are self-employed
- if you have work experience on a student work permit
- you have less than one-year of skilled work experience in Canada, or plan to live in Quebec
Yes, you can be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class so long as you meet the requirements
To apply under the Canadian Experience Class, you will need to take a language test that is approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
If your work experience is in National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill type 0 or skill level A occupations, you must meet the minimum level of CLB 7 in each language ability. If your work experience is in NOC skill level B occupations, you must meet the minimum level of CLB 5 in each language ability. If you do not meet the minimum language skills needed for your NOC category, your application will not be processed.
Yes. All applicants must provide proof of language ability in one of Canada’s two official languages.
To apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class, your skilled work experience must:
- be in a job classified as skill type 0, or skill level A or B according to the 2016 National Occupational Classification,
- amount to at least one year of full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) in the previous three years,
- have been with an employer in Canada (self-employment does not count),
- be gained with the proper legal authorization (for example, as a documented worker with a valid work permit), and
- not be gained while you were studying on a student permit.
No. You can only count work experience in one of these categories as the NOC:
- Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations),
- Skill Level A (professional occupations) or
- Skill Level B (technical occupations and skilled trades)
To be eligible for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class you must have completed at least:
- 12 months of full-time work:
- 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1-year full time (1,560 hours), OR
- equal amount in part-time hours, such as:
- 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1-year full time (1,560 hours)
- 30 hours/week for 12 months at more than 1 job = 1-year full time (1,560 hours)