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Canadian Experience Class

If you are a temporary foreign worker or a foreign student who graduated in Canada, you often have the qualities to make a successful transition from temporary to permanent residence. You are familiar with Canadian society and can contribute to the Canadian economy. You should have knowledge of English or French and qualifying work experience.

Applying to stay in Canada permanently in your case is simple. You can do this under the Canadian Experience Class. All the guides, information and forms you need to apply are included here.

Before you apply, make sure you get to know the requirements and current application procedures. After you apply, make sure you return to this website to find out about the steps that follow.

You must meet these minimum requirements to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class. You must:

  • plan to live outside the province of Quebec
  • be either:
    • a temporary foreign worker with at least two years of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada, or
    • a foreign graduate from a Canadian post-secondary institution with at least one year of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada
  • have gained your experience in Canada with the proper work or study authorization
  • apply while working in Canada – or – within one year of leaving your job in Canada

According to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), skilled work experience means:

  • Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations) or
  • Skill Level A (professional occupations) or
  • Skill Level B (technical occupations and skilled trades)

Your application will be assessed on two requirements if you apply as a temporary foreign worker:

  • your work experience and
  • your ability in English or French.

If you apply as a graduate of a Canadian post-secondary educational institution with Canadian work experience, it will be assessed using the above requirements, as well as:

  • your education.

Principal applicant

If you are married or living with a common-law partner in Canada, and she/he also meets the above requirements, you can decide which one of you will apply for the Canadian Experience Class as a principal applicant.

 

Canadian Experience Class:
Who can apply – Requirements for temporary workers

As a temporary foreign worker, you must have two years of full-time (or equivalent) work experience in Canada. Your work experience must be gained within three years of applying.

Full-time work experience means working at least 37.5 paid hours per week.

Skill level — National Occupational Classification

Your work experience must be Skill Type 0, or Skill Level A or B on the NOC.

The NOC is a classification system for jobs in the Canadian economy. It describes duties, skills, educational requirements and work settings for occupations in Canada.

Find out your NOC category

To find out if your work experience qualifies you for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class, see Jobs and their NOC Descriptions of Occupations in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page. Follow the instructions to find the NOC category that matches your work experience.

If the description and list of main duties for a job classified under 0, A or B match what you did while you worked in Canada, you probably meet the requirement for that type of experience.

If the description and list of main duties do not match your work experience in Canada, then you might not have the type of experience you need to apply. Look through the NOC list to see if another occupation matches your experience.

You do not meet the minimum work experience requirement if:

  • you gained your work experience without the proper status (for example, as an undocumented worker)
  • your work experience in Canada is not classified as 0, A or B under the NOC list
  • you do not have at least two years of work experience as a temporary foreign worker.

If you do not meet the minimum work experience requirements, your application for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class will be refused.

 

Canadian Experience Class:
Who can apply – Requirements for graduates

There are two requirements specific to graduates:

  • Work experience
  • Education

Work experience

As a graduate of a Canadian post-secondary educational institution, you must have one year of full-time (or equivalent) work experience in Canada after graduation. Your work experience must be gained within two years of applying.

You may get work experience by applying for the Post-Graduation Work Permit after graduation. Work permits may be valid for up to three years with no restrictions on the type of work you can do or where. To ensure that you can apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class, at least one year of work experience under the permit must be at Skill Type 0, or Skill Level A or B under the NOC. Your work experience must be gained within two years of the time you applied.

Full-time work experience means working at least 37.5 paid hours per week.

Note: Work experience gained during your studies does not count toward meeting the requirements for work experience. Only work experience gained after graduation can be counted.

Skill level — National Occupational Classification

Your work experience must be Skill Type 0, or Skill Level A or B on the NOC.

The NOC is a classification system for jobs in the Canadian economy. It describes duties, skills, talents and work settings for occupations in Canada.

Find out your NOC category

To find out if your work experience qualifies you under the Canadian Experience Class, see Jobs and their NOC descriptions in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page. Follow the instructions to find the NOC category that matches your work experience.

If the description and list of main duties for a job classified under 0, A or B match what you did while you worked in Canada, you probably meet the requirement for that type of experience.

If the description and list of main duties do not match your work experience in Canada, then you might not have the type of experience you need to apply. Look through the NOC list to see if another occupation matches your experience.

You do not meet the minimum work experience requirement if:

  • you gained your work experience without the proper authorization (for example, as an undocumented worker)
  • your work experience in Canada is not classified as 0, A or B under the NOC list
  • you do not have at least one year of work experience as a graduate of a post-secondary educational institution.

If you do not meet the minimum work experience requirements, your application for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class will be refused.

For more information on NOC, see the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

Education

Education is only assessed if you are applying as a graduate of a Canadian post-secondary educational institution.

If you want to apply based on your Canadian credentials, you must complete either:

  • a full-time Canadian post-secondary educational program of at least two years or
  • a one-year Master’s program (certificates and diplomas cannot be counted) and an additional year of education, obtained in Canada, before admission into the one-year program (for a total of two years).

Note: English- or French-as-a-second- language courses do not count toward education requirements under the Canadian Experience Class.

  • The programs must be delivered by a private or public post-secondary educational institution such as a college or a university that is provincially recognized, or
  • Private CEGEPs.

Note: You must have proper status during any period of full-time study or training.

If you do not meet the minimum education requirements when applying as a graduate, your application for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class will be refused.

 

(Retrieved from Citizenship and Immigration Canada https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/cec/index.asp)