Canadian Experience Class

Temporary foreign workers in Canada are ideal people to apply for PR under the Canadian Experience Class category. One should have a valid one year of Canadian work experience.

Canada is a cultural mosaic and it has been referred to as a society that respects and celebrates the culture of many nations around the globe. Everyone is dreaming of immigrating to Canada in the current era to avail of better educational opportunities and to live a better life. It can be seen that nowadays a remarkable number of students prefer to immigrate to Canada to study over there rather than studying in their home countries and this ratio has been drastically increased from the last 10 years. Canada has one of the highest per-capita immigration rates around the world.

There are several immigration programs which have been designed for the people who have a keen desire to study, work and settle abroad in Canada.

The candidates who are wishing to acquire Permanent Residency in Canada, they can apply under the express entry category.

What is an Express Entry?

This program allows immigration, refugees and Citizenship Canada (which is called IRCC) to apply for permanent residency in case if they are eligible.

What are the steps involved in it? 

  • The candidates will build their express entry profile online as an initial step by creating a formal “Expression of Interest”. This means that you want to apply for Canada PR as you are eligible for it. 
  • The candidates who are eligible for the profile will be accepted to the Express Entry pool where they will be allotted scores and then they will be ranked under CRS called Comprehensive Ranking System. CRS is based on the personal information of the applicant which he or she provides.

This express entry pool has various categories such as-

  • FEDERAL SKILLED WORKER CLASS (FSWC)
  • FEDERAL SKILLED TRADES CLASS (FSTC)
  • CANADIAN EXPERIENCE CLASS (CEC) 

Here, we will be dwelling into what is Canadian Experience Class?

This is a very popular Visa among the people who have already immigrated to Canada to work-study or settle over there. The people who are already living in Canada, studying over there or working over there comes under the category of Canada Experience Class. So, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency by opting for this category. Not only this, the people who are outside Canada can also apply for this category, if they meet the substantial requirements.

Here are the eligibility requirements to apply for this category

  • The applicant must have 12 months of skilled work experience in Canada and that also must be availed in 3 years leading up to the application and also held a valid work permit visa unless exempt.
  • This job experience must be categorized under one or more occupations classified as skill type 0, A or B under the National Occupation Classification. One year of work experience in Canada can be gained under two NOC codes. So, the work experience must be gained legally.
  • It should be noted that self-employment or work experience gained while you were a full-time student will not be counted as valid Canadian work experience for this category.
  • NOC skill level O or A  should be CLB 7 and for NOC B, it should be CLB 5.
  • The applicant must meet the CLB requirements to apply for this category. The candidate must meet the minimum CLB (CANADA LANGUAGE BENCHMARK) requirements for the job in which he or she gained work experience.
  • The applicant must plan to live outside Quebec.
  • The candidates will have to take the following IRCC approved tests such as:
  • CELPIP- General (English)
  • IELTS – General (English)

Applicants with better language ability both in English and French can get additional CRS points.

So, the process of applying for PR under Canada Experience Class can be seen in these simple steps –

  • Obtain Canada Work permit.
  • Complete at least one year of work in Canada.
  • Ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements.
  • Create your Express entry profile.
  • Try to improve your CRS scores and rank under the CRS.
  • Receive an invitation to apply.
  • Complete the medical tests.
  • Provide security background checks.
  • Then submit and e-application.
  • Your e-application will be reviewed then. ‘
  • Receive confirmation of PR status and then complete your landing.
  • Finally, you will get your PR card.

CEC Canada advantages 

  • The students who have already immigrated to Canada and the people who are in Canada on Work permit Visa, it is very beneficial to them because if they have 1 year of Canadian work experience, it can give a boost to their CRS scores, which are very much needed to acquire the permanent residency of Canada.
  • The Canadian Experience Class files are processed very quickly within 3 to 4 months as the documentation required is minimal.
  • The applicants under the CEC category are not supposed to show the settlement funds, which has to be shown under FSWC and FSTC categories.

But this category also has one potential disadvantage which is

  • If you are applying under this category, then there is less chance that you get the invitation to apply. If you have a low CRS score, then it will get difficult to apply under this Category. In that case, take guidance on how to increase your CRS score.

So, just go through this process if you are working in Canada and has one-year valid work experience to apply under this category, you are not far to apply for Permanent Residency of Canada. If you lack proper guidance, then we can guide you with the above process. If you are thinking to apply under Canada Experience class then you also have some other options to apply for PR like applying for Canada PR under PNP programs called Provincial Nominee Programs. But before following the aforesaid steps, just contact us to check if you qualify under these programs or not.