Canadian Experience Class
Note from CIC: As of May 1, 2014, there is an overall cap of 8,000 for new Canadian Experience Class applications. There are also sub-caps of 200 for each National Occupational Classification B applications. These are the last applications we will accept under the current system before Express Entry launches in January 2015.
You cannot use work experience in the following occupations to qualify for the CEC:
- 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)
You need to meet these requirements to apply under the Canadian Experience Class. You must:
- 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).
Skilled work experience
According to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), skilled work experience means:
- Managerial jobs (NOC skill type 0)
- Professional jobs (NOC skill type A)
- Technical jobs and skilled trades (NOC skill type B)
You must have at least 12 months of full-time, or an equal amount in part-time, skilled work experience. Full-time work means at least 30 hours of paid work per week.
To find out which group your job falls under, see the list of jobs and their NOC groups. Follow the steps to find the NOC group that matches your job.
If the details and list of main duties for a job under NOC skill types 0, A or B match what you did while you worked in Canada, your job is likely in that group. If it does not, look at the list to see if another job matches your experience.
If your existing work permit is about to expire you may be eligible for a bridging open work permit. Bridging open work permits allow qualified applicants to keep working while they await a final decision on their permanent residence application.
Principal applicant
If you are married or live with a common-law partner in Canada, and that person also meets the above conditions, you can decide which one of you will apply under the CEC as a principal applicant.
A common-law partner is a person who has lived with you in a conjugal relationship for at least one year. Common-law partner refers to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples.
Language
You must meet the minimum language requirements for your job. You must also include the results of a language test (from an agency designated by CIC) that shows you meet them when you apply.
Your test results must not be more than two years old on the day you apply.