Author: Yan Desjardins, Founder & Executive Director
Who Can Apply For The Canadian Experience Class Program?
The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is one of the permanent residence streams under the Express Entry program. Read our blog on Express Entry for more information.
The program allows foreign nationals to immigrate to Canada under the skilled category. The Canadian Experience Class is opened to the following individuals.
- International students who graduated and worked under the Post Graduation Work Permit program in Canada;
- Temporary Foreign Workers who are working in Canada and currently meet the conditions to work in Canada;
- Individuals who have previously worked in Canada on a valid work permit.
Candidates who have an active Express Entry Program profile and meet the minimum Express Entry score are most likely to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class.
Minimum Eligibility Requirements: How Can I Qualify?
Like the other Express Entry program permanent residence streams, the Canadian Experience Class program is based on three minimum requirements. Therefore, applicants must meet all minimum requirements to qualify for permanent residence.
Canadian Work Experience
To qualify under the CEC program, applicants must demonstrate that they have worked in Canada within 3 years preceding the application for permanent residence. In addition, the work experience must fall within the following categories of the National Occupation Classification list.
- Skill type 0 = Management jobs.
- Skill type A = Professional jobs that require a university or college degree.
- Skill type B = Technical or skilled trades jobs
Your Canadian work experience must also meet the following requirements:
- One full-time job for at least 12 months. Full-time employment equivalent to 30 hours/week or 1560 hours.
- A combination of part-time work of a maximum of 24 months. For example, 15 hours/week for 24 months or 1560 hours required.
- Full-time employment at more than one job. This means working multiple jobs that amount to 30 hours/week or 1560 hours.
Legal Status In Canada
The above Canadian work experience requirements must have been obtained while meeting the conditions to work in Canada. In other words, this means the applicant must have held a valid work permit for the entire duration of the work experience.
Education
The Canadian Experience Class does not have an education requirement. This means that applicants can qualify regardless of their educational background and can apply as long as they meet the minimum eligibility requirements.
Applicants can still use their higher education credentials to get more Express Entry scoring points.
How To Apply for The Canadian Experience Class
Suppose you are looking at immigrating to Canada under the skilled categories such as the Canadian Experience Class. In that case, you will first need to create a profile under the Express Entry Program and establish your Express Entry score.
Once you receive your invitation to apply for permanent residence, you can submit all the documents using your online profile.
If you would like to know if you qualify for the Canadian Experience Class or any other Canadian immigration programs, use our self-assessment tool and receive a free assessment.
