Canadian Experience Class

What is the Canadian Experience Class (CEC)?

This is an immigration program opened to skilled workers with a minimum of 1560 hours or one-year work experience in Canada. Through this program, applicants will obtain their permanent residency. You are qualified to apply if you have worked for about 30 hours per week for a year. Foreign workers can choose the federal Skilled worker program or the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) to apply for permanent residence.

When you apply for the experience class, you don’t need to be employed, provided you have a Canadian work experience than is not older than three years. You will also be considered eligible you must have obtained a skilled work experience from a Canadian employer.

Canadian Experience Class
Eligibility

Before being considered for the Canadian experience class, you must have satisfied the following requirements:

A temporary resident status regardless of their employment status

Must have worked for about 1560 hours for a Canadian employer(s)

Must meet the employment specification under the NOC jobs

An unpermitted worker is not considered a valid worker under CEC

Self-employment is also not an authorized job which is therefore not permitted as a work experience

Only Canadian work experience is acceptable, and other work outside Canada will not be considered. But if you work during the official two-week vacation, it can be considered

Work experience in Canada under implied status is only applicable if the working condition is the same as the initial contract

You will be eligible for the Canadian Experience class if you have fulfilled all these requirements, according to the immigration officer

Advantages of CEC over FSWP

If you are going through any of the Canadian experience class routes, you will enjoy specific advantages:

Going through Canadian Express Entry means you don’t need to provide proof of funds before the application

The work experience required doesn’t have to be continuous if it is CEC

You need just one-year full-time work experience to qualify for the program, provided the jobs are under NOC, and the skill type are met

You will get faster verification under the CEC applications than in other programs

Score Grid of CEC

The standard score grid for FSWP, which is 67, is not the same as CEC. Once you are ranked based on the comprehensive ranking system (CRS), you automatically get a score and do not need an additional grid point.

Canadian Experience Class | Employment vs Self Employment

If you want to be accepted into the Canadian experience class, self-employment shouldn’t be provided as work experience. However, the following conditions will determine if the self-employed or employed status is valid by the CIC officer.

  • The degree of independence in carrying out the job successfully will be vetted
  • The officer must know the degree of the worker employing others if the option is available and working personally
  • The employers provide the necessary tools and equipment for workers to use
  • The degree of the financial risk involved in the business and the right is given to workers concerning the business's decision-making

Other relevant factors will also be considered.
You can be self-employed or be in an employer-employee work relationship and be eligible for the experience class if your employment is viewed under certain circumstances. To determine the kind of employment or self-employment status you are under, you can use the CRA ruling to determine your status. If the ruling shows that your status is insured, it can be sent to the CIC officer to confirm if the employment is acceptable.

Work Experience applications assessment before January 2, 2013

If you are already a temporary foreign worker and are applying for Canadian experience, you will need to obtain a full-time work experience in any of the skill jobs listed under NOC or an equivalent part-time. This experience must have been gotten 36 months before your application

With a post-graduate certification, you still need a minimum of one year of full-time work experience under the NOC jobs or a part-time equivalent before applying for the experience class. Note that the work experience for this situation must be gotten 24 months before the application date

The express entry Canadian experience doesn’t recognize off-campus work, volunteer work or co-op work

Work experience application assessment after January 2, 2013

  • If the applicant has at least one year of work experience in Canada under the NOC jobs, the application must be within the 36 months expected by CEC. Also, the applicants must include the following in the application documents:
  • The specific duties assigned by the employer and the duties performed all under NOC
  • Statements showing the duties were assigned and performed according to the occupational description

Note that the following will not be included as a Canadian work experience:

  • Work experience gained through Canadian co-op permits
  • Volunteer work/off-campus work during any study program
  • Employment during full-time study

Determination of Employment Status

If the CEC requirement and the CIC officer are satisfied, the applicant’s employment status will be considered. The primary documents you need are as follows:

Proof of Canadian work experience

Letter of Employment

Work permits recently acquired

Photocopies of T4 tax information slips

Documents showing the record of payments and deductions

The assessment notice is given by the Canadian revenue agency

Reference letter past work experience

Other similar documents

The T4 tax information slips will show the remuneration and deductions on all income taxes. The slip is not enough evidence of work experience but it is optional for the applicant’s consideration.

What do you do when you receive ITA one or two months before the work experience completion date?

In this situation, know that you are not alone as many other people ask similar questions. The first thing you shouldn’t do is delay the application or decline it. Don’t worry; you won’t be penalized, but the IRCC officer will focus on the following instead:

  • Employment offer letter of the current employer
  • The state of the job and its possible continuation
  • Checks if the applicant meets the work experience requirement

So, if you are in this situation, do not decline the ITA just yet.

Can I claim my spouse or sibling's points in CRS?

Since the comprehensive ranking system is associated with the Canadian experience class, you won’t be able to make the regular point claiming like the FSWP. Rather, you are strictly restricted to only claiming points from your siblings and not your blood relative or your spouse’s.

Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Applications Processing time

The average time for the Canadian experience class is within six months. However, it can vary depending on the circumstances surrounding the application.

If you don’t want any glitches along your application process, you should consider doing the following tips:

Read through every document carefully before filling and submitting it as directed by the IRCC

Provide only correct and current contact information

Respond to any missing document quickly as requested by the IRCC

For a change of marital status, update it as soon as possible

Update your family size when a change occurs during the application process and ensure the IRCC is aware of the change

CEC and Province of Quebec

There is an exception to the above requirements if you will be migrating to the Quebec province. Firstly, note that you cannot apply through the CEC if you plan to live in Quebec. However, you can use your Quebec work experience to apply for CEC and live in other parts of Canada outside of Canada. But if you want to live in Quebec, you need to use the Quebec skilled worker class to apply.

Bridging Open Work Permits

You will only be eligible for a bridging open work permit after receiving a permanent residence application confirmation. When the PR application is made after an Invitation to apply has been sent, the bridging work permit can be processed while you wait for the PR application to be approved. Note, however, that this is primarily for applicants with permits due to expire.

Suppose you don’t know where to begin, even with the above information. In that case, you can still contact any of the Pendulum immigration team, and we will help you secure your permanent resident visa.