Canadian Experience Class

Turn Canadian Work Experience into PR: Canadian Experience Class

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Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is one of the three programs under Canada’s Express Entry system. It offers a pathway to permanent residency for skilled workers with at least one year of Canadian work experience in the last three years. Applicants must meet language proficiency requirements in English or French and plan to live outside Quebec. The CEC is ideal for temporary foreign workers and international graduates who have adapted to Canadian life and gained valuable work experience in the country.

who is eligible under Canadian Experience Class

Below are the minimum requirements to be eligible for CEC under Express Entry. Once eligible, you enter the Express Entry pool under CEC, where the CRS ranks your profile, and the highest-ranking candidates are invited to apply for permanent residence.

Skilled Work Experience

You must have at least 1 year of paid skilled work experience in Canada (full-time or equal part-time) within the last 3 years, gained while authorized to work under temporary resident status, in NOC TEER categories 0, 1, 2, 3.

Language Ability

You must have taken an approved language test in English or French within the last 2 years. For English, you need a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 for NOC TEER 0,1 and CLB 5 for NOC TEER 2,3, which equals a CELPIP score of 7 or 5 or an IELTS score 6 or 5 of in all sections.

Education

There is no education requirement for CEC, but to boost your Express Entry score, you can gain points for a Canadian education or foreign education with an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) showing equivalency to a Canadian credential.

Proof of Funds

CEC does not require proof of funds if you are currently working in Canada or have a valid job offer, but if you do not meet these conditions, you must demonstrate that you have sufficient funds to support yourself and your family.

Admissibility

You must be admissible to Canada, as some individuals may be deemed "inadmissible" under Canadian immigration law. Reasons for inadmissibility can include security concerns, criminal activity, or medical issues.

Live outside Quebec

You must plan to reside outside of Quebec, as the province has its own process for selecting skilled workers. If you intend to live in Quebec, please refer to information specific to Quebec-selected skilled workers.

Express Entry Made Easy

At Cantrust Visa, we make Express Entry easy with our completely Free Assessment. If Express Entry is an option for you, we’ll create and submit your profile for free, and you only pay if you receive an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence. If Express Entry isn’t a viable option right now, we’ll provide free guidance on improving your profile and suggest other Canadian immigration pathways that might be a better fit for you.

Canadian experience class FAQs

What is considered Skilled work experience?

Skilled work experience means you’ve worked in one of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER categories:

TEER 0
TEER 1
TEER 2
TEER 3

To qualify, you must have paid work experience, including wages or earned commission, and demonstrate that while working in your primary occupation, you performed the actions in the lead statement of the NOC description and most of the main duties listed. Volunteer work or unpaid internships do not count.

Your “primary occupation” is the job you have experience in and wish to base your immigration application on. If you don’t have the minimum work experience in the primary NOC you choose, you won’t be eligible.

What is considered Part-time work experience?

Part-time work experience must be paid, either through wages or commission, and does not include volunteer work or unpaid internships. To qualify, you can work more or less than 15 hours per week as long as it totals 1,560 hours. You can combine hours from multiple part-time jobs to meet this requirement. However, any hours worked above 30 hours per week are not counted.

Does work experience gained as a student or self-employed count?

No, self-employment and work experience gained while you were a full-time student (including co-op work terms) do not count toward the minimum requirements for this program.

How do they calculate my work experience for CEC?

To qualify for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), your work experience must total at least 1 year of skilled work or 1,560 hours in Canada. This can be achieved in several ways:

Full-time at 1 job: 30 hours per week for 12 months, totaling 1,560 hours.
Equal amount in part-time work: For example, 15 hours per week for 24 months, totaling 1,560 hours.
Full-time at more than 1 job: 30 hours per week for 12 months across multiple jobs, totaling 1,560 hours.

You can combine hours from multiple part-time jobs to meet this requirement.

What is the exemption for physicians?

The exemption for physicians allows foreign national physicians who were invited to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry on or after April 25, 2023, and have provided publicly funded medical services in Canada, to count this work experience as Canadian work experience.

This applies even if they are self-employed. When creating your Express Entry profile, ensure you do not select the “Self-employed work” checkbox under Work experience in Canada to have this work experience recognized.

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