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The CEC is short for Canadian Experience Class which is one of the Canada’s key economic immigration programs and allows foreign nationals who have skilled work experience and are currently residing in Canada to apply for permanent residence. Under this category, temporary foreign nationals and international student graduates who have acquired qualifying working experience can apply for permanent residents.
Often, the reason why Canadian employers would hire a foreign work is because they couldn’t find the suitable candidates in domestic market. In other words, those foreign workers that come to Canada for the job position might have diverse skills which can satisfy the employers’ needs and contribute to our society. After having established extensive network through work and life experience in Canada, those foreign nationals become familiar and comfortable with their community and do not wish to leave. Also, the employers have invested on those workers and they don’t want their investment just go away. That has driven the foreign workers wish to stay permanently.
International students in Canada are likely to get a Canadian post-secondary educational credential or job offer after graduation. During their time studying here and possibly working at same time or later, they would also establish social networks and gain perspective on the Canadian job market. Some of them want to find a job and settle down in Canada too.
The Canadian Experience Class program has become the best and most popular choice for such Skilled Temporary Foreign Workers and graduates to make Canada their permanent home.
Since the program was first launched in 2008, CIC has processed and approved more than 25,000 applications for permanent residents through this program.
To be eligible to apply for permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class, you must meet the certain requirements as follows:
Not all working experience is considered “qualified” towards the CEC program. According to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), skilled work experience has to be managerial jobs (NOC skill level 0), including senior management occupations, middle and other management positions; professional jobs (NOC skill type A) which usually require university education at the bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate level; or technical jobs and skilled trades (NOC skill type B) which require education from at least a college or vocational institute, apprenticeship training or three to four years of secondary school followed by more than two years of on-the-job training, specialized training courses or specific work experience.
Applicants are not necessarily to be employed at the time while applying, but you must have temporary status during the qualifying period of work experience acquired in Canada.
You need minimum of 1,560 working hours in a year, which means you need to work full time for 30 hours per week for a year. If you work part time, for example, 15 hours per week, then you might need to work for 24 months or30 hours a week for 12 months at more than one job to meet the required hours. You must also show that you did the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC, including all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed. This one-year of work experience must have been gained within the past three years before you start the application. Any periods of self-employment doesn’t count.
There’s allowance for a reasonable period of vacation time for calculation of the qualifying work experience requirement, for example, you take two weeks off for vacation during your employment.
For the international students, experience of part-time work, off-campus work and a co-op work term on a student work permit while you are still enrolled as a full time student does not count under this program. You must complete a program of study of at least two academic years which is total 16 months. You need to obtain the qualifying working hours after graduation with a temporary work permit.
Work experience doesn’t need to be continuous under the CEC, as long as the qualifying period of working hours is within consistent three years before the date you apply.
Working legally here means that you acquire your work experience through proper legal authorization and you have a legitimate immigrant status while working in Canada, for example, you have a valid work permit for the work you are doing and for the time being while you are working.
Any periods of unauthorized work will not be included in calculating the period of work experience. A person who has worked in Canada without authorization might risk being inadmissible to Canada.
Depending on your occupational skill level, your language level needs to be moderate in one of the Canadian official languages. You must meet the minimum language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 for NOC 0 or A jobs or Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 for NOC B jobs.
You also need to take a language test approved by CIC at your own cost that indicates you meet the level at all aspects of the language abilities for speaking, listening, reading and writing. The test result is valid for 2 years.
Quebec has its own immigration policies. But if you have worked or studied there, the experience could count to meet the requirements for the CEC.
There is no education requirement for Canadian Experience Class. But, it can help you to earn points under Express Entry which is CIC’s system used to manage applications for permanent residence under this immigrant program on or after January 1, 2015 and under which, applicants who meet the criteria will be accepted into a pool of possible candidates for immigration to Canada.
If you are married or live with a common-law who is a foreign national in Canada, and that person also meets the above conditions, you may choose to decide which one of you should apply under Express Entry as the principal (main) applicant.
If you have worked in Canada for over one year and met the requirements discussed above, you could apply for being a permanent resident through the CEC program. As one of the most livable country in the world, Canada welcomes candidates like you.
Contact us to find out more details about the CEC program and the application process. Let our immigration lawyers help you to build your brighter future in Canada.
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