The Canadian Experience Class is for skilled workers who have Canadian work experience and want to become permanent residents.

Minimum requirements

You must

• meet the required language levels needed for your job for each language ability
  • writing
  • reading
  • listening
  • speaking
• have at least 1 year of skilled work experience in Canada, in the last 3 years before you apply—you can meet this in a few different ways:
  • full-time at 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full-time (1,560 hours)
  • equal amount in part-time work: for example 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1-year full time (1,560 hours)
    • You can work as many part-time jobs as you need to meet this requirement.
  • full-time work at more than 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months at more than 1 job = 1-year full time (1,560 hours)
• have gained your work experience by working in Canada while under temporary resident status with authorization to work

You’re not eligible for the Canadian Experience Class if

• you’re a refugee claimant in Canada
• you’re working without authorization
• your work experience was gained without temporary resident status in Canada

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

• managerial jobs (skill level 0)
• professional jobs (skill type A)
• technical jobs and skilled trades (skill type B)

Your work experience can be in 1 or more NOC 0, A, or B jobs.

Education

There is no education requirement for the Canadian Experience Class.

If you want to improve your rank in the Express Entry pool for immigration purposes, there are 2 ways you can do this.

• If you went to school in Canada, you can get points for a certificate, diploma, or degree from a Canadian:
  • secondary institution (high school) or
  • post-secondary institution

or

• If you have foreign education, you can get points for:
  • a completed foreign credential, and
  • an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for immigration purposes from a designated organization showing that your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
    • secondary institution (high school) or
    • post-secondary institution

Language ability

You must:

• meet the minimum language level of:
  • Canadian Language Benchmark 7 for NOC 0 or A jobs or
  • Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for NOC B jobs
• take approved language tests for:
  • writing
  • reading
  • listening
  • speaking
• describe the test results in your Express Entry profile

Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result and must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.

This program is for skilled workers with foreign work experience who want to immigrate to Canada permanently.

How this program works

This program has minimum requirements for:

• skilled work experience
• language ability
• education

You must meet all the minimum requirements to be eligible.

Selection factors

If you meet all the minimum requirements, we’ll then assess your application based on:

• age
• education
• work experience
• whether you have a valid job offer
• English and/or French language skills

How we use selection factor points

We use the selection factor points to assess your eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

Once you’re in the Express Entry pool, we use a different system to rank your profile. We select the highest-ranking candidates from the pool and invite them to apply for permanent residence.

Minimum requirements

Skilled work experience

Skilled work experience means that you’ve worked in 1 of these National Occupational classifications (NOC) job groups:

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

You must show that while working in your primary occupation, you performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

Your skilled work experience must be

• in the same type of job (have the same NOC) as the job you want to use for your immigration application (called your primary occupation)
• within the last 10 years
• paid work (have been paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count)
• at least 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total (30 hours per week)—you can meet this in a few different ways:
  • full-time at 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full-time (1,560 hours)
  • equal amount in part-time work: for example 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1-year full time (1,560 hours)
    • You can work as many part-time jobs as you need to meet this requirement
  • full-time at more than 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months at more than 1 job = 1-year full time (1,560 hours)

Part-time work experience

Your skilled work experience must be paid work including paid wages or earned commission. We don’t count volunteer work or unpaid internships.

For part-time work, you can work more or less than 15 hours/week as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours. You can work more than 1 part-time job to get the hours you need to apply.

We don’t count any hours you work above 30 hours/week.

Student work experience

Work experience gained while you were studying may count towards your minimum requirements if the work:

• was paid by wages or commissions
• was continuous (no gaps in employment), and
• meets all the other requirements of the Program

Language ability

You must:

• take approved language tests in English or French for:
  • writing
  • reading
  • listening
  • speaking
• get a minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in all 4 abilities
• enter the test results in your Express Entry profile

Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result. They must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.

The Federal Skilled Trades Program is for skilled workers who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade.

Minimum requirements

To be eligible, you must

• meet the required language levels for each language ability
  • writing
  • reading
  • listening
  • speaking
• have at least 2 years of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in a skilled trade within the 5 years before you apply
  • your work experience must be for paid work (paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count)
• meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification, except for needing a certificate of qualification
• have a
  • valid job offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least 1 year or
  • certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial, territorial or federal authority

Skilled work experience

Skilled trades for the Federal Skilled Trades Program are organized under these groups of the National Occupational Classification (NOC):

• Major Group 72, industrial, electrical, and construction trades
• Major Group 73, maintenance and equipment operation trades
• Major Group 82, supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture, and related production
• Major Group 92, processing, manufacturing, and utilities supervisors and central control operators
• Minor Group 632, chefs and cooks
• Minor Group 633, butchers and bakers

The major NOC groups are subdivided into different occupations, and they are all skill type B.

You must show that you performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

If you don’t show that your experience meets the description in the NOC, we’ll refuse your application.

Education

There is no education requirement for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. But, if you want to improve your rank in the Express Entry pool, there are 2 ways you can do this.

• If you went to school in Canada, you can get points for a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
  • secondary institution (high school) or
  • post-secondary institution

or

• If you have foreign education, you can get points for a completed educational credential, if you have an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for immigration purposes from a designated organization showing that your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
  • secondary institution (high school) or
  • post-secondary institution

Language ability

You must

• meet the minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for speaking and listening, and Canadian Language Benchmark 4 for reading and writing
• take approved language tests for
  • writing
  • reading
  • listening
  • speaking
• enter the test results in your Express Entry profile

Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result. They must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.

Proof of funds

You must show that you have enough money for you and your family to settle in Canada unless you

• are currently able to legally work in Canada and
• have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada