CANADA EXPRESS ENTRY IMMIGRATION

CANADIAN EXPERIENCE CLASS (CEC)

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is a permanent resident category for individuals with Canadian skilled work experience.

It was developed for foreign/international graduates and temporary foreign workers with qualifying Canadian work experience.

As of January 2015, potential candidates interested in applying to the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) must go through the Express Entry system.

Who is Eligible for Canadian Experience Class (Express Entry)?

To qualify under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) express entry immigration program, the candidate MUST meet two (2) minimum requirements:

• Canadian Work Experience.
• Language ability.

Work Experience

In order for an applicant to be eligible for CEC, he/she must:

• Have at least 1 year of full time (or equivalent in part-time) skilled work experience in Canada.
  The work experience must have been gotten within the last 3 years before they apply.
• The work experience must have been gained by working legally in Canada.
• In order for the work experience to be taken into consideration, it must be skilled work experience.

According to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), a skilled work experience means:

• Managerial jobs (Skill level 0),
• Professional jobs (Skill type A), and
• Technical jobs and skilled trade (Skill type B).

The work experience can be in one or more NOC 0, A or B jobs.

Evidence (such as a reference letter from the applicants employer) showing that the applicant performed the duties stated in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This encompasses all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

Self-employment and work experience gained while a full-time student (such as co-op work term), does NOT count under this immigration program.

Language Ability

The applicant must meet the required language levels needed for the job for each language ability:

• Speaking,
• Reading,
• Writing, and
• Listening.

The minimum language level required depends on the type of job.

• For NOC O or A jobs: Canadian Language Benchmark 7 is required.
• For NOC B jobs: Canadian Language Benchmark 5 is required.

An approved language test (English and/or French) must be taken. The test results is expected to be noted in the Express Entry profile.

Language test is valid for two years after the date of the test result. Additionally, the test must be valid on the day the applicant applies for Permanent Residence (PR).

Education is NOT a Requirement

There is no education requirements for Canadian Experience Class (CEC). However, education helps improve the applicants Express Entry ranking, thereby increasing the possibility of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA).