The CEC is a permanent resident category for individuals with skilled work experience in Canada. It was developed for temporary foreign workers and foreign graduates with qualifying Canadian work experience.
​EligibilityMinimum requirements

Applicant must:

• Have at least 12 months of full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) skilled work experience in Canada in the three years before you apply
• Have gained the experience in Canada with the proper authorization, • Meet the required language levels needed for his/her job for each language ability (speaking, reading, writing and listening)
• Meet the required language levels needed for his/her job for each language ability (speaking, reading, writing and listening)
• Plan to live outside the province of Quebec. Self-employment and work experience gained while the applicant was a full-time student (for example, on a co-op work term) does not count under this program

Self-employment and work experience gained while the applicant was a full-time student (for example, on a co-op work term) does not count under this program.

Skilled work experience

To be considered for the Canadian Experience Class, the applicant needs to have Canadian skilled work experience within three years of applying. According to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), skilled work experience means:

• Managerial jobs (NOC skill level 0)
• Professional jobs (NOC skill type A)
• Technical jobs and skilled trades (NOC skill type B)

Applicant’s experience must be at least 12 months of full-time (30 hours of paid work per week or more) or an equal amount in part-time hours.

Full Time
30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)

Part time
15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
OR
30 hours/week for 12 months at more than one job = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
Applicant must show that he/she did the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC, including all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.
If applicant’s existing work permit is about to expire he/she may be eligible for a bridging open work permit. Bridging open work permits allow qualified applicants to keep working while they await a final decision on their permanent residence application.

Education
There is no education requirement for Canadian Experience Class. But, if the applicant wants to earn points for his/her education under Express Entry, he/she either needs:

• A Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree

OR

• A Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree
• A completed foreign credential
• An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from an agency approved by CIC. [The report must show your foreign education is equal to a completed Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree]

Language ability
Applicant must:

• Meet the minimum language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 for NOC 0 or A jobs OR Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 for NOC B jobs
• Take a language test approved by Canada that shows applicant meets the level for speaking, listening, reading and writing

The applicant must show that he/she meets the requirements in English by including the test results when he/she completes the Express Entry profile. The test results must not be more than two years old on the day he/she applies for permanent residence or he/she will need to retake the tests.

Principal applicant
If applicant is married or lives with a common-law foreign national partner in Canada, and that person also meets the above conditions, he/she can decide which one of them will apply under Express Entry as the principal applicant.
A common-law partner is a person who has lived with the applicant in a conjugal relationship for at least one year. Common-law partner refers to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples.

Other requirements

• Applicant must be admissible to Canada
• Applicant must plan to live outside the province of Quebec

​For more information, please contact us.

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