Canadian Experience Class or CEC Eligibility Criteria

Canadian Experience Class or CEC Eligibility Criteria

Introduction

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program was launched by the IRCC in 2008 to offer a dedicated skilled worker pathway to temporary foreign workers and international students who want to obtain permanent residence status.

Since then, the CEC has grown into one of Canada’s largest immigration pathways for skilled workers. Governments across Canada, communities, employers and immigration candidates themselves have regarded it as an overwhelming success.

What are the benefits of the CEC?

The CEC is an effort on the part of Canada’s federal and provincial governments to encourage more foreign workers and international students to build their futures in Canada.

Research by IRCC, Statistics Canada, and academics is clear on one conclusion: Skilled workers have a major advantage of integrating into the Canadian job market if they have previously lived in the country.

This is due to the beneficial combination of having high human capital criteria plus building social and professional networks in Canada enables CEC immigrants to be very successful in the labour market.

In addition to this benefit, candidates having a Canadian experience are able to obtain more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points under Express Entry system. This improves their chances of obtaining permanent residence.

CEC candidates who succeed under the Express Entry system are usually able to obtain permanent residence status within six months.

Also, unlike other two Express Entry programs, candidates who succeed under CEC do not need to demonstrate to IRCC that they have settlement funds to support themselves financially upon obtaining permanent residence.

Immigration Process under CEC

IRCC uses Express Entry to manage skilled worker applications for 3 programs including the CEC.

Living in Canada and gaining eligible work experience there strengthens your candidature under CEC.

In addition to this, you may also be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and if you have a trades background, the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

The first step is to ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria of CEC or one of the other Express Entry programs.

Upon ensuring you meet the eligibility requirements, you may submit an Express Entry profile vi IRCC’s website. Generally, every two weeks, IRCC holds Express Entry draws awarding permanent residence invitations to candidates with the highest CRS scores.

How are CRS scores determined?

The CRS scores are determined on the basis of each candidate’s human capital characteristics including their age, education, language skills, work experience, Canadian experience, among other criteria.

If you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence, you need to submit a completed application to IRCC within the specified deadline. IRCC aims to process the applications within 6 months.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can pursue immigration to Canada through the CEC:

Step 1: See if you meet the CEC’s eligibility criteria. CanadaVisa has a free eligibility tool.

Step 2: Assuming you meet the eligibility criteria of the CEC, you will need to complete an English and/or French language test designated by IRCC. You may also need to obtain an Educational Credential Assessment. Information on this step is available on CanadaVisa’s Express Entry page.

Step 3: Go onto IRCC’s website and submit your Express Entry profile, for free.

Step 4: Monitor Express Entry draws to see if you have received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. The draws are usually held by IRCC every two weeks.

Step 5: If you receive an ITA, submit your completed permanent residence application to IRCC.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the CEC, you must meet the following requirements:

• Have obtained at least one year of skilled, professional or technical work experience in Canada within 36 months of the application date; and
• Meet or surpass a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 5 (“initial intermediate”) for NOC B jobs or CLB 7 (“adequate intermediate proficiency”), for NOC skill level 0 or A jobs.
• Plan to live and work outside of the province of Quebec (individuals with work experience in Quebec and who plan to reside in Quebec may apply to the Quebec Experience Class).

One year of work experience is defined as at least 1,560 hours of skilled work in Canada. The 1,560 hours can be obtained through full-time and/or part-time work.

Applicants are allowed to remain in Canada throughout the application process. However, the Canadian Experience Class is also open to individuals who are no longer in Canada, provided that they submit their application within three years of leaving their job in Canada.

The CEC requirements are based on a pass or fail model. If the minimum requirements are met, the applicant is eligible to enter the Express Entry pool, otherwise not.

It is important to note that self-employment and work experience gained while you were a full-time student does not count under the CEC.

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