Canadian Experience Class CEC

Canadian Experience Class

The Canadian Experience Class as a category which seeks to reward those who have already obtained eligible work experience in Canada. This category facilitates those who have worked for at least one year in a full time or combinational part time bases in what is considered a high skilled profession.

If you have worked in a profession which is classified as being NOC A, B or O, you may qualify for permanent residence. The NOC or National Occupational Classification is a code attributed to your occupation based on your duties.

Canadian Experience Class

This category is one way that your work experience in Canada can lead to permanent residence status. You will need to first determine how your occupation in Canada is classified via the NOC and then determine whether or not you meet the other qualifications.

Your application will be assessed on:
  • Your language ability;
  • Your qualifications for your intended occupation;
  • Your occupational classification.
Skilled work experience means that your occupation is classified as:
  • NOC 0 – Managerial
  • NOC A – Professional
  • NOC B – Technical Jobs and Skilled Trades

Depending on your duties, the first step is determining how your job is classified.

What You will Need

Qualify for the Canadian Experience Class

In order to qualify for the Canadian Experience Class:
  • You must plan to live outside the province of Quebec
  • You must have 12 months of full-time (or equal amounts of part-time) skilled work experience in Canada within the 3 years before you apply
  • You must have gained your experience in Canada with the proper authorization
  • You must meet the language requirements needed for your job for each language ability – i.e., speaking, reading, writing, and listening
Presently, the following occupations are no longer accepted under the Canadian Experience Class category:
  • Cooks (NOC 6322)
  • Food service supervisors (NOC 6311)
  • Administrative officers (NOC 1221)
  • Administrative assistants (NOC 1241)
  • Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (NOC 1311)
  • Retail sales supervisors (NOC 6211)

Classify Your Occupation

In order to classify your occupation you need to refer to the National Occupational Classification matrix or NOC. Use the NOC to review the duties of your of your occupation vs. the duties found in the comparative NOC classification.

If you can do a quick search for a job title to narrow down the search to occupations in your particular field of work but do not rely heavily on the job title as your duties are what is most important.

  • If you discover that your job meets the requirements of being classified as A, B or 0, you've completed the first step toward the successful application of the Canadian experience class.
  • The next step is to keep in mind is that you have the right educational background as well as work experience for intended occupation Canada and have been working on a full-time basis.

Language Requirements

One of the requirements that you must satisfy in order to be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class is the language requirements. You must meet the minimum language levels required for your job in each of the language areas. The language areas are:

  • Speaking
  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Listening

The reason Citizenship and Immigration Canada places an emphasis on minimum language levels is because since Canada’s official languages are French and English, Canadian society runs on these official languages. You will need to be able to work and communicate in English, French, or both in order to be successful in the Canadian job market.

In order to determine the level of language skills you will require, you have to consider your specific job. Your job will determine the minimum language skill that is required. In turn, the language skills you need will depend on the category your job is listed under in the National Occupational Classification (NOC).

If the skills you developed is from a job in Canada that falls under NOC O or A, you must meet a minimum level of CLB 7 in English or French, or both; in all four language areas.

If you the skills you developed is from a job in Canada that falls under NOC B, you must meet a minimum level of CLB 5 in either English, French, or both for all four language areas.

Bridging Open Work Permit

If you have applied under the Canadian Experience Class, in certain circumstances, you may also consider a Bridging Open Work Permit.

A Bridging Open Work Permit allows you to maintain your legal status in Canada as a temporary resident and continue working in Canada while you await the final decision on your Permanent Resident application, specifically in this case, your Canadian Experience Class application.

In order to be eligible for a Bridging Open Work Permit, you, as an applicant under the Canadian Experience Class, must meet the following requirements:

  • You are currently in Canada;
  • You have valid status on a work permit that is due to expire within 4 months;
  • You have received a positive determination of eligibility decision on your application ; and
  • You have made an application for an Open Work Permit.

How We Can Help

The Canadian Experience Class application focuses primarily on your experience and the qualifications for your intended occupation in Canada. Just because you may be employed in a position does not guarantee that you will be successful if you lack the qualifications or experience to be considered eligible for the occupation. According to the National Occupational Classification (NOC), each occupation also comes with qualifications you will have to meet.

We will assist you:

  • Draft the necessary forms;
  • Draft appropriate supporting documentation like employment reference letters;
  • Assist you with gathering important documents like contracts, agreements, proof of your qualifications;
  • Help you determine the most suitable NOC for you;
  • Compile the strongest possible case as per your unique situation;
  • Submit and follow up on your application, ensuring the fastest possible processing times; and
  • Of course, be with you every step of the way.

For more information on the Canadian Experience Class category, feel free to browse our vast collection of information on the subject or contact us directly at 1-877-622-8182 or 416 477 2570. You can also email at Info@ToImmigrate.com.,

The Canadian Experience Class facilitates foreign workers who have gained work experience in Canada obtain Permanent Residence status based on a skilled occupation. There are a few basic requirements:

  • Plan to live outside the province of Quebec
  • Have at least 12 months of full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) skilled work experience in Canada in the three years before you apply,
  • Have gained your experience in Canada with the proper authorization
  • Meet the required language levels needed for your job for each language ability: speaking, reading, writing, and listening.

In addition to these basic requirements, there are factors that you should also consider in addition to the above should you wish to be successful in applying through the Canadian Experience Class.

Skilled Work

In order to ensure that you have been working in a skilled profession, the Canadian Experience Class application requires that your position be classified with the National Occupational Classification. This is a database of occupations based on duties and skill level.

Follow these steps to determine if your work experience is in an occupation that meets the minimum requirement to apply under the Canadian Experience Class:

  1. Go to the National Occupational Classification website
  2. Search for your occupation. You can search based on title, key words, subject etc.
  3. If you have work experience in occupations that meet the minimum requirements for workers with Skill Type 0, or Skill Level A or B of the National Occupational Classification, you are eligible to apply under the Canadian Experience Class.

Combined work experience in several different occupations may also count towards meeting the work experience requirement, provided all occupations are at the NOC skill levels noted above.

Work Experience Requirements

In order to have your work experience qualify for the Canadian Experience Class, you must have obtained this experience for at least 12 months on a fulltime or equivalent part time basis. The work experience will also need to be classified as either:

  • NOC 0 – Managerial
  • NOC A – Professional
  • NOC B – High Skilled

The work experience will need to have been obtained at least 36 months preceding the date you properly completed application is received however, you do not have to be employed at the time of your application.

Any periods of self-employment, unauthorized work, or periods of employment during which you were engaged in full-time study (e.g. work experience gained on a co-op, off-campus or on-campus work permit) will not be considered when calculating the timeframe of your work experience.

To qualify under the Canadian experience class you need meet the following requirements:

  • you have to plan to live outside of the province of Quebec
  • usually you require at least 12 months of full time Canadian skilled work experience (NOC skill type 0- managerial, NOC skill type A- professional jobs, NOC skill type B- technical jobs) in the last three years
  • you have to meet the required language levels (speaking, reading, writing, and listening)
  • you have to be admissible, which means you cannot be involved in criminal activity, in human rights violations, or be a threat to Canadian security.

The idea behind Canadian experience class is to provide an advantage to temporary skilled workers, who have acquired Canadian experience, and provide them with an opportunity to obtain permanent residency.

It is important to understand that experience as a self-employed person, unauthorized work, ineligible occupations and work experience gained while studying (co-op, off- campus work) will not be included while calculating your work experience.

One of the most important requirements of the Canadian experience class is determining whether or not your occupation meets the requirements of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). Skilled work experience is only considered if it is under NOC skill type 0, A or B.

There needs to be a principal applicant, if you have spouse or a common-law partner. Hence, one of you who meets the above requirements can apply and submit the application under Canadian experience class.

The Canadian Experience Class is a category that may be of interest to you if you are working in Canada or have recently worked in Canada on a Temporary Resident status and you are not looking to establish a permanent life in Canada by obtaining Permanent Resident status.

If you are applying under the Canadian Experience Class, you will first need to ensure that you meet the requirements of the Category so that you are eligible to apply. You must meet the minimum requirements of each of the criteria in the Canadian Experience Class for your application to be processed. The eligibility requirements for the Canadian Experience Class are as follows:

  • For all applicants:
    • Proficiency in English, French or both
    • Maintenance of your temporary resident status during the period of work experience that you are using to qualify under the Canadian Experience Class as well as any period of full-time study or training in Canada
  • For the Temporary Foreign Worker Stream
    • Qualifying Canadian skilled work experience
  • For the Post Graduation Stream
    • Qualifying Canadian skilled work experience
    • Qualifying Canadian educational credential

Generally, an immigration officer can assess your eligibility straightforwardly without any problems. The officer will make a determination on your eligibility based on the information and documentation you provide in your application. However, in some cases, your matter may not be as straightforward, and an interview may be required.

When Will An Interview Be Used?

When an immigration officer is having some trouble or has some concerns with your eligibility or any other type of requirements for the Canadian Experience Class, you may be asked to go for an interview with the officer.

Additionally, if the immigration officer has any concerns regarding the accuracy or authenticity of any of the documentation or information you provided in your application, will be communicated to you. You will have an opportunity to address these concerns.

An immigration officer will conduct an interview you with you for the following reasons:

  • To ensure that the information you submitted in your application is truthful and complete
  • To detect and deter fraudulent information and documents
  • To clarify specific information
  • To conduct quality control

An immigration officer cannot conduct an interview to assess your language skills.

At Akrami & Associates, our team of legal professionals have the skills, knowledge, and expertise to ensure that your application is thorough, comprehensive and complete.

Those who have skilled work experience in Canada and wish to remain in Canada on a Temporary Basis can qualify for the Canadian Experience Class. This program rewards those who have gained skilled work experience in the Canadian Labour Market.

In order to be considered for the Canadian Experience Class you must:

  • Plan to live outside the province of Quebec
  • Have at least twelve months of full-time or equivalent part time skilled work experience in Canada within the last three years prior to applying
  • Have gained skilled work experience legally in Canada with a valid work permit
  • Meet the language requirements needed for your job in speaking, reading, writing and listening

Skilled work is considered to fall under:

  • Managerial (NOC skill type 0)
  • Professional (NOC skill type A)
  • Technical and skilled trades (NOC skill type B)

You must have at least 12 months experience of full time experience or an equal amount of part time experience. Full time work is considered to be thirty hours of paid work a week.

You will need to determine under which NOC you fall under in order to determine your eligibility.

NOC is an abbreviation for the National Occupational Codex, or NOC. The National Occupational Codex is a database that essentially classifies and standardizes any occupation in Canada based on the appropriate duties. The NOC has many uses, but for the purposes of immigration, it serves as a means to describe and understand the nature of work. Each occupation is classified and described based on duties performed.

Based on these job duties, your occupation will fall under a classification. You must first find the occupation that accurately reflects your duties to determine what classification you fall under.

If your classification falls under NOC A,B or 0 than you meet the skilled work requirements. There are other such requirements you will need to consider such as language skills, adaptability, finances etc.

You should also note that the following positions are no longer being accepted by the Canadian Experience Class:

  • Cooks (NOC 6322)
  • Food service supervisors (NOC 6311)
  • Administrative officers (NOC 1221)
  • Administrative assistants (NOC 1241)
  • Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (NOC 1311)
  • Retail sales supervisors (NOC 6211)

When compiling any application, you should try and do your best to consider the arguments you are making and be sure to back them up with documentation. Every statement of fact that you complete on an application form should be supported with evidence. An Immigration Officer who is reviewing your application will rely on your evidence to support your claim. If your statements are not properly backed up, the Officer will be left to question the veracity of your details. This can lead to lengthy processing times if not outright refusal if the Officer requests further documentation or is not satisfied with the information presented.

This is why you need to put yourself in the mind frame of the Officer and consider what they might want to see when processing your application.

When an immigration officer evaluates your Canadian Experience Class application, there is a procedure they must follow when:

  • Receiving the application
  • Assessing the application
  • Determining eligibility – pass/fail test and interviews
  • Approving or refusing the application

The above is the actual process that every Canadian Experience Class application undergoes when being evaluated by an Immigration Officer.

First, the Canadian Experience Class Application is reviewed for completeness:

  • All application forms are signed appropriately
  • The Results of your language test are reviewed
  • Your fees are included
  • You have provided all the required documents
  • The application is date stamped and your internal file is created
  • A Confirmation of Receipt is sent to you

Second, the documentation you provided is reviewed against the requirements for the Canadian Experience Class. Your application will be assessed for:

  • Your Temporary Resident Status
  • Proof of your Language Proficiency and Test Results
  • Relevant Work Experience
  • Your Educational Experience and how it meets the criteria of your intended position in Canada

Third, your application and all its merits are weighed against a pass/fail system that the Officer employs to help make a decision on the matter. This can result in one of four ways:

  • If you meet the minimum requirements in all areas, the Officer may approve the application
  • If you do not meet the minimum requirements, the Officer will refuse your application
  • If the Officer is unsure, or cannot make a decision with the available information they may request further documentation from you
  • In most cases, an Officer should be able to determine the merits of the application without the need of an in person interview however they may still request one of you if they feel it necessary

Fourth and finally, you will be notified of the outcome of your application:

  • If you are approved, you will receive notification in writing with instructions on how to obtain your Permanent Residence Status
  • If you are refused, you will still receive this information in writing, outlining the reasons for refusal