Applying for Permanent Residence through Canadian Experience Class

What is Canadian Experience Class (CEC)?

Are you currently working in Canada and would love to gain permanent residency? Do you imagine your future in Canada and do not want to leave? This can become possible through Canadian Experience Class  through Express Entry. Express Entry, specifically the Canadian Experience Class, has been created for individuals who have worked in Canada and gained skills that will assist them for future employment and hopefully will result in permanent residency. It is essentially intended to assist foreign nationals to enter Canada on factors that will ultimately benefit the Canadian economy. In this article, I will address the minimum requirements for eligibility, the national occupational classification, education expectations, language ability expectations and more with regards to Canadian Experience Class.

Canadian Experience Class Minimum Requirements

Canadian Experience Class is not designed for anyone to apply. You must have the minimum requirements in order to become eligible. For instance, first and foremost, you must have at least a year of full-time skilled work experience in Canada, within three years before you apply for CEC. If you are a part-time skilled worker, you must have the equal amount of time as a full-time skilled worker. Additionally, you are required to have gained your work experience in Canada through proper authorization; this means that if you are working in Canada illegally, then unfortunately you will not be able to apply. Language levels are a definite requirement for CEC and you must ensure you meet them for your intended job. Last but not least, you must want to reside anywhere but Quebec as they have different regulations and do not use Express Entry.

It is important to note that if you have been self-employed in Canada and/or gain skilled work experience while attending school full-time; regrettably, you will not qualify under this program and are in fact ineligible.

Work Experience Requirement for Canadian Experience Class

In order to qualify under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), as previously mentioned, you must acquire Canadian skilled work within three years before you apply. The National Occupational Classification, better known as NOC, ultimately determines your skilled work experience. Specifically, to qualify under a skilled work experience, your NOC must be a level 0, which is Managerial jobs; a type A, which is Professional jobs; or a type B, which is Technical jobs and skilled trades. If your work experience in Canada does not fall under one of these categories, unfortunately you would not be eligible to apply for a CEC. Moreover, your skilled work experience must be at least one full year of full-time experience or the equal amount of time in part-time experience.

In order to adequately qualify under a specific NOC for skilled work experience, it is required that you complete the job duties that are stated in the NOC. The reason being is because should you not portray that you have fulfilled the job duties, the application will not be accepted.

The qualifications for the time spent working are listed below:

For full time experience you are required to work 30 hours a week for 1 year which is a total of 1,560 hours.

For part time experience you are required to work 15 hours a week for 2 years which is a total of 1,560 hours. The other option for part time experience is to work 30 hours a week for 1 year at more than one job which is a total of 1, 560 hours, as well.

Education Expectations for Canadian Experience Class

Fortunately for many, there is no education requirement for CEC. However, keep in mind; if you’d like to earn more points towards your Express Entry, then you will need education. You may either provide a Canadian secondary or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree or a completed foreign credential and an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from an agency that is currently approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). If you are unfamiliar with what an ECA report does, it essentially is created to show your foreign education is equal to a Canadian education.

Language Ability Expectations for Canadian Experience Class

It is extremely important in Canada to speak either English or French as these are the primary languages of the country. Therefore, language ability is a very important requirement for CEC. You must ensure that you meet the minimum language level of the Canadian Language Benchmark. For instance, should you fall into NOC 0 or A, you must have a CLB of 7; whereas if you fall into NOC B, you must have a CLB of 5. In addition to meeting the minimum language level, you must also take a language test approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). This test will precisely show that you meet the level of speaking, listening, reading and writing. For the Express Entry profile, you must show the test results once you receive them.

Other Expectations

As previously stated, if you plan on residing in Quebec, you will not be eligible to apply for CEC as they do not use Express Entry and have different regulations. In addition, another very important expectation in order to apply for CEC is that you must be admissible to Canada. Should you be inadmissible, then unfortunately you would not be qualified to apply for CEC. If you are inadmissible, please refer to our blog “Denied Entry into Canada due to Inadmissibility” for more information.

Contact Akrami & Associates

Should you have any further questions or need assistance with applying through Express Entry, specifically under CEC, it is important to discuss it with immigration professional. By talking to immigration professionals about your questions, it will ease your worries and assist with the application process. Keep in mind, many immigration applications are difficult to pursue on your own, especially if you are unfamiliar, and it is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to apply. Here, at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients gain permanent residency in Canada through Express Entry, specifically through CEC. If you believe that you may be eligible to apply through Canadian Experience Class, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office at 416-477-2545 for more information or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advise.

With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!