Who can apply

You must meet these minimum requirements to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class. You must:

• plan to live outside the province of Quebec
• be either:
  • a temporary foreign worker with at least two years of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada, or
  • a foreign graduate from a Canadian post-secondary institution with at least one year of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada
• have gained your experience in Canada with the proper work or study authorization
• apply while working in Canada – or – within one year of leaving your job in Canada

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

• Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations) or
• Skill Level A (professional occupations) or
• Skill Level B (technical occupations and skilled trades)

Your application will be assessed on two requirements if you apply as a temporary foreign worker:

• your work experience and
• your ability in English or French.

If you apply as a graduate of a Canadian post-secondary educational institution with Canadian work experience, it will be assessed using the above requirements, as well as:

• your education.

Requirements for temporary workers

As a temporary foreign worker, you must have two years of full-time (or equivalent) work experience in Canada. Your work experience must be gained within three years of applying.

Full-time work experience means working at least 37.5 paid hours per week.

Skill level – National Occupational Classification

Your work experience must be Skill Type 0, or Skill Level A or B on the NOC.

The NOC is a classification system for jobs in the Canadian economy. It describes duties, skills, educational requirements and work settings for occupations in Canada.

Requirements for graduates

There are two requirements specific to graduates:

• Work experience
• Education
• Work experience

As a graduate of a Canadian post-secondary educational institution, you must have one year of full-time (or equivalent) work experience in Canada after graduation. Your work experience must be gained within two years of applying.

You may get work experience by applying for the Post-Graduation Work Permit after graduation. Work permits may be valid for up to three years with no restrictions on the type of work you can do or where. To ensure that you can apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class, at least one year of work experience under the permit must be at Skill Type 0, or Skill Level A or B under the NOC. Your work experience must be gained within two years of the time you applied.

Full-time work experience means working at least 37.5 paid hours per week.

Note: Work experience gained during your studies does not count toward meeting the requirements for work experience. Only work experience gained after graduation can be counted.

Skill level – National Occupational Classification

Your work experience must be Skill Type 0, or Skill Level A or B on the NOC.

Language requirements (all applicants)

Being able to communicate and work in one or both of Canada’s official languages is very important. Knowing English, French or both helps you in the Canadian job market.

You must prove your ability in English or French to qualify for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class.

If most of your work experience is classified as Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A under the NOC, you must show you meet the requirements for level 7 on the Canadian Language Benchmarks. If most of your work experience is classified at Skill Level B under the NOC, you must show you meet the requirements for level 5 on the Canadian Language Benchmarks. These are the minimum levels needed to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class based on your occupational skill level.

If you do not meet the minimum language skill requirement for your NOC category, your application for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class will be refused.

Proof of your language abilities

If you have some abilities in both English and French, decide which of the two is your first official language. The other is your second official language.

You must prove your abilities in your first official language only. There are two ways to do this. You can:

• take a test from a designated testing agency or
• provide written proof of your abilities.

Note: If your first language is neither French nor English, CIC recommends taking a language test from an approved organization before starting the application process. This will help you find out if you meet the minimum language requirement.