Canadian Experience Class (CEC): a plain-English guide

Who it is for

IRCC describes the Canadian Experience Class as a program for skilled workers who have Canadian work experience and want to become permanent residents.^[1]

It is one of the three programs managed through Express Entry, alongside the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.^[2]

IRCC says you must plan to live outside the province of Quebec, which selects its own skilled workers.^[1]

Provincial nominees must settle in the province or territory that nominated them.^[1]

IRCC's comparison table lists no job offer requirement and no education requirement for this program.^[3]

Canadian work experience requirements

IRCC asks you to first find the National Occupational Classification (NOC) code for each job in your work history, then check it against the skilled work rules. To be counted, IRCC says your Canadian work experience must:^[1]

• be in one or more NOC TEER categories 0, 1, 2 or 3 (it can span more than one job or NOC);^[1]
• be gained while working in Canada, including Quebec, with authorization to work under temporary resident status;^[1]
• if done remotely, be done while physically in Canada and working for a Canadian employer;^[1]
• show that you performed the actions in the NOC lead statement and most of the main duties listed;^[1]
• be paid work, in wages or commission (volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count);^[1]
• total at least 1 year, or 1,560 hours (30 hours per week), in the 3 years before you apply.^[1]

IRCC lists work experience that cannot be counted:^[1]

• work done while you were a full-time student (co-op work terms also do not count);^[1]
• self-employment, with an exception for some physicians;^[1]
• volunteer work or unpaid internships;^[1]
• work done when you were not legally allowed to work in Canada.^[1]

A temporary public policy lets some foreign national physicians count self-employed time providing publicly funded medical services in Canada (such as fee-for-service work) as Canadian work experience.^[1]

IRCC gives these ways to reach the 1,560 hours:^[1]

• full-time at one job: up to 30 hours a week for 12 months;^[1]
• part-time: for example, 15 hours a week for 24 months, across as many part-time jobs as needed;^[1]
• full-time at more than one job: up to 30 hours a week combined, for 12 months.^[1]

Work experience gained in Quebec can count, but IRCC says you must include proof that you do not plan to settle there.^[1]

Language requirements

IRCC says you must take an approved English or French test and meet the minimum score in all four abilities: writing, reading, listening and speaking.^[1]

For the Canadian Experience Class, the minimum level depends on the TEER category of your job:^[4]

• TEER 0 or 1: CLB 7 (English) or NCLC 7 (French) in all four abilities.^[4]
• TEER 2 or 3: CLB 5 (English) or NCLC 5 (French) in all four abilities.^[4]

IRCC lists these approved tests:^[4]

• CELPIP: the CELPIP-General test (English).^[4]
• IELTS: the General Training option (English). IRCC does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake for Express Entry.^[4]
• PTE Core: the PTE Core option (English).^[4]
• TEF Canada (French).^[4]
• TCF Canada (French).^[4]

Results must be less than 2 years old both when you complete your Express Entry profile and when you submit your permanent residence application. IRCC says it refuses applications made with expired results.^[4]

Education, funds and admissibility

IRCC states there is no education requirement for the Canadian Experience Class.^[1]

Education can still add points to your rank in the pool. A certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian high school or post-secondary institution can earn points.^[1]

Foreign education earns points only with both a completed credential and an educational credential assessment (ECA) report for immigration purposes.^[1]

IRCC says Canadian Experience Class applicants do not need to show proof of settlement funds.^[5]

Because the system currently asks every applicant for a proof of funds document, IRCC says that if you do not need one you must upload a letter explaining that you were invited under the Canadian Experience Class.^[5]

IRCC also advises keeping your funds up to date in your profile, because the system may find that you meet more than one program and you may not know in advance which one you will be invited under.^[5]

IRCC says you must be admissible to Canada; people can be refused entry for reasons such as security, criminal or medical grounds.^[1]

How Express Entry works for this program

Express Entry is IRCC's online system for managing applications from skilled workers. It covers three programs: the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.^[2]

IRCC describes the process in four steps:^[2]

• Profile: you create an Express Entry profile and enter the pool of candidates.^[2]
• Pool and invitation: IRCC invites the candidates with the most points, in rounds.^[2]
• Application: if invited, you fill out the permanent residence application.^[2]
• Decision: IRCC reviews the application and makes a decision.^[2]

Profiles in the pool are scored and ranked with the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), IRCC's points-based system. The CRS score is separate from any program eligibility test.^[6]

IRCC states that completing a profile or entering the pool does not by itself lead to an invitation, and that you can only apply for permanent residence after receiving one.^[6]

When a profile meets more than one program, IRCC invites it to the first one in this order: Canadian Experience Class, then Federal Skilled Worker Program, then Federal Skilled Trades Program. The Canadian Experience Class comes first in that order.^[6]

IRCC holds different types of rounds during the year: general rounds, program-specific rounds and category-based rounds, where the Minister sets a category to meet a specific economic goal.^[7]

If you are not invited within 12 months of submitting your profile, IRCC says the profile expires automatically. You can create a new profile after that.^[8]

If your work permit expires

If your work permit is expiring while you are in the pool, IRCC points you to extending it; if it has already expired, IRCC points you to restoring it. You can leave Canada and still stay in the pool.^[6]

IRCC warns that working in Canada without status can make you ineligible for Express Entry.^[6]

After you apply for permanent residence, IRCC says that if your work permit is about to expire you may be able to get a bridging open work permit to keep working while you wait for a decision.^[9]

After an invitation to apply

An invitation to apply is valid for 60 days only. IRCC suggests starting the application form right away so you can gather the information and documents before it expires.^[8]

You upload copies of the documents you used for your profile. IRCC says the system produces a personalized document checklist once the online form is complete.^[8]

The system shows the fees to pay, including the processing fee for you and your family members, the right of permanent residence fee and the biometrics fee. Fee amounts are on IRCC's fee list.^[8]

IRCC says people aged 14 to 79 give fingerprints and a photo (biometrics) for every permanent residence application, and have 30 days from the date on IRCC's letter to give them.^[9]

If you decline an invitation, IRCC says you are put back into the pool and considered in future rounds if you still meet the requirements. If you neither decline nor apply within 60 days, the invitation expires and the profile is removed from the pool.^[8]

IRCC bases its decision on whether you meet the program requirements and whether you are admissible to Canada, using the medical exam, police certificates and background checks.^[9]

Frequently asked questions