Become a Canadian Permanent Resident through the Canadian Experience Class

The Steps to Apply for Canadian Experience Class

If you are a foreign national that is currently working in Canada and would like to obtain permanent residency in Canada, the Canadian Experience Class may be for you. The Canadian Experience Class category is available through the Express Entry immigration selection system. The Canadian Experience Class category is intended for foreign nationals who have work experience in Canada and have gained the appropriate skills to assist them for any future work in Canada and, thus, hopefully resulting in permanent residency in Canada. These potential permanent residents of Canada who have work experience within Canada will essentially benefit the Canadian economy going forward. Therefore, in this article, I will address how to apply for Canadian Experience Class and other very important information to consider if you would like to apply under this economic immigration category.

Minimum Requirements for Canadian Experience Class

In order to apply for the Canadian Experience Class economic immigration category, you must meet all of the eligibility requirements. Not everyone will be eligible to apply. Below are the two main requirements in order to apply for the Canadian Experience Class.

To be eligible to apply for the Canadian Experience Class, you must:

· Have a minimum of one year (twelve months) of full-time skilled work experience in Canada within the three years prior to applying for the Canadian Experience Class – Please note that this requirement would also apply for an equal amount of work in part-time work.

· Meet the required language levels that are required for the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level of your employment experience in each language ability (listening, speaking, reading and writing).

· Have gained your work experience through proper authorization in Canada, i.e. a work permit.

· Plan to live anywhere except Quebec as they have different immigration programs and requirements.

It is important to note that if you are either self-employed or were a student when you gained this full-time work experience, unfortunately, you would not be eligible to apply for the Canadian Experience Class.

Language Ability Requirements for Canadian Experience Class

In order to apply for the Canadian Experience Class, as previously mentioned, you must meet the required language levels for your specific skill level of your employment experience. This is specifically measured by the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB). The CLB is essentially the Canadian standard utilized to recognize and measure the language ability of foreign nationals who intend on living and working in Canada. Furthermore, a part of the application process for the Canadian Experience Class is assessing your language ability by taking a language test that is approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Specifically, if your work experience in Canada is in either National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill type 0 or skill level A occupations, then you must meet the CLB level of 7 in each language ability. As aforementioned, the language abilities include listening, speaking, reading and writing. On the other hand, if your work experience in Canada is in either NOC skill level B occupations, then you must meet the CLB level of 5 in each language ability. It is vital that you meet the required language skills needed for your NOC category because, if not, your Canadian Experience Class application will not be processed and may be either returned or refused.

Another important factor to consider is if you are already an English speaking foreign national, you will still need to provide proof of a language test in order to apply for the Canadian Experience Class.

How to Apply for Canadian Experience Class

In order to successfully apply for the Canadian Experience Class, you must first fill out an Express Entry profile online. Furthermore, in order to apply under the Express Entry economic immigration system, you must meet the minimum criteria for Express Entry. Once your profile is in the Express Entry pool, and if Immigration invites you to apply for permanent residency in Canada, then you must complete the online application within 60 days of receiving the invitation. Once you complete the online application, you must also submit all of the supporting documentation and information they have requested and pay the necessary government fees.

With this kind of application, you must also make sure you pass your medical examination. The medical examination cannot be done by just any physician. There is a list of specific physicians and clinics that are able to conduct the examination and you must ensure that you go to one of them, if not, you will not pass the medical examination. Additionally, you will also be requested to submit police clearance certificates and/or security checks from countries that you’ve lived in previously. This process can be lengthy and time consuming, but it is necessary for the success of your permanent residency application.

Contact Akrami & Associates

Should you have any further questions or need help with applying for the Canadian Experience Class through the Express Entry economic immigration system, it is important to discuss your questions and concerns with an immigration professional. By talking to immigration professionals about your immigration matter and specific circumstances, they will be able to 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. Therefore, 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 by working in Canada full-time for a minimum of one year and then applying for the Canadian Experience Class. If you believe that you may be eligible to apply, 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 advice.

With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!