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Are you a foreign national and have obtained Canadian work experience and wondering if you are eligible to apply for permanent residency? Under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) foreign workers and foreign graduates with skilled work experience in Canada can apply for Permanent Residency through this route.
Canadian Experience Class just like any other immigration category of Canada has its own requirements. If anybody who has experience working in Canada, might want to know the requirements that might help them get permanent residence in Canada. Below are the requirements that would help a candidate apply for this category. In order to apply for this category, you must have:
at least twelve months of full-time or equal amount in part-time work experience in Canada in the three years before you apply for your application
gained experience in Canada with proper authorization to work in Canada
the intention to live outside the province of Quebec
meeting required language levels needed for your job in every level of communication such as speaking, reading, writing and listening in either English/French
Note: if you were self-employed or gained work experience while you were full-time student such co-op work term does not make you eligible under the program.
If you like to live in the province of Quebec you would have to apply through Quebec selected skilled workers as the province of Quebec does not use the Express Entry.
To be eligible to apply for the Canadian Experience Class, you need to know what kind of skilled work experience you need. You need to show that you have worked in Canada and have enough experience within three years of applying. Also, your work level has to meet the requirements of Canadian National Occupation Classification (NOC). Under the NOC your job experience has to fit the standards of those jobs that fall under NOC A, B, or O. Below are the examples to explain what category of work experience is required:
NOC skill level A means professional jobs
NOC skill level B means technical jobs and skill trades
NOC skill level O means managerial jobs
If you have a job in NOC A, B, or O you will need to demonstrate that you have worked 30 hours/week for twelve months which means you must have finished 1,560 hours in total. If you worked part time then you have to demonstrate 15 hours/week for 24 months which will be equal to one year of 1,560 hours in total. You also have to prove that your work experience meets the description in the NOC listed in your application. The duties you performed and the responsibilities you had according to the NOC have to be mentioned. Otherwise, your application could be in jeopardy.
Some of you may think that education might come in handy when applying for such application. To your surprise there is no education requirement for Canadian Experience Class. However, if you want extra points for your education under Express Entry you would either need a Canadian secondary or post-secondary certificate, diploma or a degree. If you do not have Canadian education and only have foreign credentials then you would require assessment of your foreign education from Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) which is approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). This report demonstrates that your education is at par with Canadian education.
Language ability is a must for your application to be approved. It is an important element for your application to be taken seriously. You must meet the minimum language level (CLB) 7 for NOC O or A jobs or a Canadian language benchmark (CLB) 5 for NOC B jobs. You will need to take a language test approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) that shows you meet the linguistic level for reading, writing, speaking and listening. When completing your Express Entry Profile your language results have to be included with your application.
Most of you have questions about Comprehensive Ranking System. We will discuss briefly about the ranking system so you can get an idea how you are ranked and based on what factors you are ranked in the system. If you are an eligible candidate, you will be ranked according to the comprehensive ranking system. Candidates are ranked through express entry under the following factors:
Skill transferability factor
Factors relating to a provincial nomination or an offer of arranged employment
Core human capital factors
Accompanying spouse or common-law partner factors
If you are one of those candidates who ranked high in the factors mentioned above then you will be issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence. The Canadian government performs regular draws from the pool and it is well advised to all the people out there who may be interested in this program to improve their score as it is in the best interest of your application as a candidate.
How do people qualify for the invitation to apply for permanent residence? The invitation is not in the hands of any individual as there is a system which is based on points and preferences on various requirements. An invitation to apply for permanent residence in Canada is offered to a candidate in the express entry pool by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) that has met the requirements under the category. So if you get an Invitation to Apply you have 60 days to apply. This length of time is given to the candidate to submit a complete application with all the supporting documents required. CIC normally completes the entire process within six months after the submission of the application.
The applicants who are married or are living in a common-law relationship can also apply together if they meet the above conditions. If your partner meets the above conditions then both of you can decide which one of you is better equipped to apply as the Principle (main) Applicant under Express Entry. Other necessary requirements are, being admissible to Canada and also your intentions must be clear about not living in the province of Quebec as this category of immigration class is not accepted in the province of Quebec.
If you have previous experience working in Canada and want to know more about Canadian Experience Class to see if you qualify for it or if you want to apply for it and need our help, please do consider Akrami & Associates for all your legal needs. Our team of dedicated consultants and lawyers will take good care of you by presenting the best possible case for you and your loved ones.
With Akrami & Associates there is always a way!
