The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) targets applicants who have already gained skilled work or educational experience in Canada.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
This program has minimum requirements for work experience, language ability and education. You must meet all the minimum requirements to be eligible.

Skilled work experience
Skilled work experience means at least 1 year of skilled work experience in Canada, in the last 3 years before you apply, and the work experience must be:

• full-time, or
• an equal amount in part-time

You must 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

Self-employment and work experience gained while you were a full-time student (even if you were on a co-op work term) doesn’t count towards the minimum requirements for this program.

Language ability

You must:

• take approved language tests in English or French
• meet the minimum language level of:
  – CLB 7 for NOC 0 or A jobs or
  – CLB 5 for NOC B jobs
• enter the test results in your Express Entry profile

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

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Admissibility
You must be admissible to Canada.

Where you can live in Canada
You must plan to live outside the province of Quebec. The province of Quebec selects its own skilled workers. If you’re a Provincial Nominee, you must settle in the province or territory that nominated you.

HOW WE CAN HELP

• Make sure that you meet the eligibility criteria, using our thorough assessment tools
• Build a competitive profile, that gives you the best chances of being selected
• Ensure Permanent Residency readiness: have all the Permanent Residency requirements ready when profile is submitted, so that the ITA validity is not missed

Start your assessment today to see if you qualify.