The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is an immigration program within Canada’s Express Entry system aimed at individuals who have gained skilled work experience in Canada. This program offers a streamlined pathway to permanent residency for those who have already demonstrated their skills in Canada’s workforce.
To qualify for the Canadian Experience Class, applicants must meet specific work experience, language proficiency, and educational requirements.
First, find out the National Occupational Classification (NOC) for your job. Check if it meets the skilled work experience requirements under the Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) system. Your experience must meet all of the following:
Be in 1 or more of these NOC categories: TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3. Your experience can span more than one NOC.
Gained while authorized to work in Canada: You must have worked in Canada under temporary resident status (such as a work permit). If you worked remotely, you must have been physically in Canada and employed by a Canadian employer.
Perform the duties: Your work experience must show that you performed the actions in the lead statement of the NOC job description, and most of the main duties listed.
Paid work: Your work must have been paid (i.e., wages or commission). Volunteer work or unpaid internships do not count.
Minimum of 1 year of work experience: This equates to 1,560 hours of work (30 hours per week) in the last 3 years.
Self-employment: Work experience gained from self-employment does not count toward the minimum work experience requirements for Express Entry programs, regardless of how many hours you worked or for how long.
Full-time Student Work Experience: Work experience gained while you were a full-time student (including co-op or internship work terms) does not count toward the required work experience for Express Entry programs. However, if the work was part of a required co-op or internship program as part of formal education, it may still be considered for other purposes but not for immigration work experience requirements.
A temporary public policy was introduced for foreign national physicians who:
Were invited to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry on or after April 25, 2023.
Have work experience in providing publicly funded medical services in Canada (e.g., fee-for-service work), even if they were previously self-employed.
In these cases, physicians will now have their work experience counted as Canadian work experience, even though they were self-employed.
To prove your language skills for Express Entry, you need to take an approved language test in either English or French.
CELPIP-General Test: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program
IELTS-General Training Test: International English Language Testing System
PTE Core: Pearson Test of English
TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français
TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du français
Your language proficiency requirement depends on your job’s NOC TEER level:
TEER 0 or 1 (e.g., management or professional jobs) requires CLB 7 (English) or NCLC 7 (French).
TEER 2 or 3 (e.g., technical or skilled trade jobs) requires CLB 5 (English) or NCLC 5 (French).
Note: Test results must be dated within 2 years of submitting your Express Entry profile or permanent residency application.
There are no mandatory education requirements for the Canadian Experience Class. However, if you want to boost your Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, you can earn points for education:
Education in Canada: If you have a certificate, diploma, or degree from a Canadian high school or post-secondary institution, it will help increase your CRS score.
Education Outside Canada: If you completed education outside Canada, you must get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report to prove that your education is equivalent to a Canadian credential.
To apply under the Canadian Experience Class, you must be admissible to Canada. Some individuals may not be allowed entry due to various factors, including:
Security concerns
Criminal history
Medical issues
If you are inadmissible, you may be denied the opportunity to apply for permanent residency.
Applicants must plan to live outside the province of Quebec, as Quebec operates its own immigration program for skilled workers. If you plan to live in Quebec, refer to Quebec-selected skilled workers for more details.
When creating your profile for the Express Entry pool, you will be asked where you intend to live in Canada. However, you are not obligated to settle in that province or territory.
If you are nominated through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), you must live in the province or territory that nominated you.
At Scope Immigration Services, we specialize in guiding individuals through the Canadian Experience Class process. We help with:
Assessing your eligibility for the Canadian Experience Class
Completing your Express Entry profile and permanent residency application
Providing assistance with the required language tests, work experience verification, and other documentation
📞 Contact us today to start your journey toward Canadian permanent residency!
Q: Can I apply if I have part-time work experience?
Yes, part-time work experience counts as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours over the last 3 years.
Q: Does my work experience need to be from a single job?
No, you can accumulate hours from multiple jobs to meet the required 1,560 hours of skilled work experience.
Q: Do I need a job offer to apply for the Canadian Experience Class?
No, a job offer is not required to apply for the Canadian Experience Class, though it can help improve your CRS score.
Q: Can I apply if I worked remotely for a Canadian employer?
Yes, as long as you were physically in Canada and working for a Canadian employer.
Q: How do I verify my educational credentials from outside Canada?
You need to get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from an approved organization to confirm the equivalence of your foreign education to Canadian standards.
For official and up-to-date information, please visit:
👉 Canadian Experience Class – IRCC Official Page
