Canadian Experience Class

Toronto Employment Lawyers Providing Advice on the Canadian Experience Class Immigration Program

Immigrating to Canada through the Canadian Experience Class immigration program can be intimidating. At Sultan Lawyers, our reliable immigration lawyers can guide you through the steps to ensure your application isn’t delayed by mistakes or missing information.

Canadian Experience Class Application Process

The Canadian Experience Class immigration program helps people with Canadian work experience become permanent residents of Canada. Like the Federal Skilled Worker and Skilled Trades programs, it uses Canada’s Express Entry system. The Express Entry process first requires you to confirm you are eligible for the program, after which you gather the required documents and submit an online profile. If you meet all the requirements, you are accepted into a pool of candidates. These candidates are ranked, and those with the highest ranking are invited to apply for Canadian permanent residency.

Canadian Experience Class Requirements

The Canadian Experience Class immigration program requires you to have skilled Canadian work experience and language abilities. You cannot qualify if you are a refugee claimant in Canada.

Work Experience Requirements

To qualify for the Canadian Experience Class program, you need to have a minimum of one year of skilled work experience in Canada within three years from when you apply. This experience can be either full-time at 30 hours per week for one year or part-time work over more than one year for a total of 1560 hours. Any additional hours above 30 hours per week are not included in your total. The required hours can be worked at one job, or over multiple jobs. Your work experience needs to have been paid and does not include volunteer or unpaid internships. Self-employment and any work experience gained while a full-time student is also ineligible. You must have been authorized to work in Canada and had temporary resident status for all work completed.

Your job experience must fall within the managerial, professional, or technical and skilled trades groupings under the National Occupational Classification system. Each of these groupings has different jobs with specific duties. You must have done the same duty as written in the lead statement of the occupational description and most of the other main duties.

Language Requirements

You will be required to take a language test to show your abilities in English or French. You need to read, write, speak, and listen in one of the two languages. The required language score for your job depends on its classification under the National Occupational Classification system. For example, if your work experience falls into either the managerial or professional category, you need to have stronger language skills than if your job was considered a technical or skilled trade.

Other Requirements

While education is not required for this stream, your ranking is improved if you have a certificate, diploma, or degree from a Canadian school or equivalent from a foreign school. While you do not need a job offer, you must be admissible to enter Canada legally. Lastly, you must intend to live anywhere in Canada outside of Québec. If you qualify for the program as a nominee through a provincial program, such as the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, you must plan to live in that province.

Canadian Experience Class Ranking System

Under the Canadian Experience Class application process, you are scored based on age, level of education, language proficiency, and Canadian work experience. If your spouse or common-law partner is joining you in Canada, they can help you gain points based on their education, language proficiency, and Canadian work experience. The amounts of points awarded vary depending on whether you are applying with a spouse or not.

The more points you get, the higher your ranking, and the better your chances are to be offered permanent residency. Additional points can be granted for strong language abilities, particularly if you have both English and French language skills. Applicants must have at least a high school education, but additional points are awarded to those with additional schooling. While only you can get points for foreign work experience, you can be awarded extra points if you and your partner have Canadian work experience.

A higher number of points are awarded for applicants between 20 and 29 years of age. More points can be awarded if you have employment arranged in Canada, are Canadian-educated, or have siblings living in Canada at the time of your application. A nomination from a province through a program like the Ontario Immigrant Nominee program also adds points to your score.

Contact Sultan Lawyers for Assistance with the Canadian Experience Class Immigration Program

At Sultan Lawyers, we have experience assisting people who wish to immigrate to Canada through the Canadian Experience Class program. Our workplace immigration lawyers can help you prepare your application and avoid mistakes along the way, so your immigration process can be as quick and efficient as possible. Contact us online or at 416-214-5111.

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