A step-by-step guide to permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class.
How to gain permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class. Since the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) was created in 2008, this program has offered an immigration pathway for candidates who have had work in Canada and want to become permanent residents.
After a long temporary pause since September 2021, Express Entry invitation rounds for CEC candidates will resume in July. Also, the processing standard time for new applicants will be done within six months.
Approximately every two weeks, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) holds Express Entry draws inviting the highest scoring candidates to apply for Canadian immigration.
Step 1: Meet the CEC’s eligibility criteria
How to gain permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class. In order to be eligible to apply under the CEC, you must meet the following requirements:
- Have at least one year of skilled, professional or technical work experience in Canada within 36 months of the application date;
- 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; and
- Plan to live and work outside 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 (or 12 months) of work experience is at least 1,560 hours of skilled work experience in Canada. Please note, that the 1,560 hours can be obtained through full-time or part-time work. Keep in mind, that self-employment and work experience gained while you were a full-time student (for example, on a co-op work term) does not count under the CEC.
Did you know? Applicants can stay inside Canada throughout the application process. The CEC is also open to those who are no longer in Canada, as long as 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.
Step 2: Submit your Express Entry profile to the IRCC website
When you visit the government website, create an IRCC secure account and follow the instructions. The online tool will prompt you to create an Express Entry profile, enter your personal reference code if you have one, and enter your personal details.
You have 60 days to complete and submit your Express Entry profile, otherwise, you will have to start again.
Once you’ve filled out your profile, you can submit it and IRCC will figure out which Express Entry program you are eligible for.
If you are eligible for the CEC, IRCC will place you in the Express Entry pool with others who are also eligible. You will get a score based on factors like work experience, education, age, official language ability and other factors. Did you know if you are bilingual (English & French) you will get an extra 50 points.
Step 3: Check for an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence
Completing an online Express Entry profile does not guarantee you will be invited to apply for permanent residence. You need to have a score that is high enough to meet the minimum threshold in a given Express Entry draw.
While you are in the pool, get ready for IRCC to send you an ITA. If you receive one, you’ll have 60 days to submit a complete application. IRCC holds Express Entry draws approximately every two weeks.
Step 4: If you receive an ITA, apply for immigration
If you get an ITA, IRCC will send you a message telling you which program you have been invited for and what to do next. The system automatically invites candidates to apply under one of the Express Entry-managed programs in the following order: Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), CEC, Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and then Federal Skilled Trades Program.
IRCC will ask for proof of the information you submitted in your Express Entry profile. Immigration officers will assess whether the information you provided in your application is different from your profile. If they find false information, or important details left out, they may refuse your application, find you inadmissible, or bar you from applying for immigration for five years.
IRCC recommends checking the criteria for the program you have been invited to apply for to ensure you are still eligible. If your personal situation changes, you may have to re-calculate your score before applying. If your recalculated score is less than the minimum CRS cut-off for your round of invitations, IRCC recommends declining the invitation.
Declining an invitation means you will be put back into the Express Entry pool of candidates, and you may be considered for future rounds of invitations if you are still eligible. It does not affect whether you are invited to apply later. There is no guarantee you will be invited to apply again, however, you may be able to improve your chance by updating your Express Entry profile or getting a higher CRS score.
If you do not respond to your ITA in 60 days, IRCC will take your profile out of the pool. To be considered for future draws, you will have to fill out a new Express Entry profile.
Other ways to immigrate
The PNP is another significant immigration program. Canada aims to admit more than 80,000 PNP candidates as permanent residents every year over the next three years, according to the 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan. Also, IRCC is still holding Express Entry draws every two weeks for PNP candidates.
If you are in the Express Entry pool already, you may be invited to apply for a provincial nomination. Then, if you get the nomination, it will mean you get 600 points added to your score, and you will be able to apply for immigration as a PNP candidate.
Conclusion
CEC has become more prominent since its launch. Last year, it accounted for one-third of the record 405,000 landings.
Starting this coming summer of 2022, IRCC will offer a new open work permit to Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holders, which will give them more of a chance to become eligible for the CEC.
Studies have shown that CEC immigrants tend to fare well in the labour market thanks to their Canadian experience before completing their permanent residency landing.
