Eligibility for Express Entry programs: Who can apply for the Canadian Experience Class
Minimum requirements
To be eligible, you must meet all the minimum requirements for
- Canadian skilled work experience
- language ability
Canadian skilled work experience
You must
- have at least 1 year of skilled work experience in Canada (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in the 3 years before you apply
- have gained your work experience by working in Canada while authorized to work under temporary resident status
- show that you performed:
- the actions in the lead statement of the occupational description in the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
- most of the main duties listed
Skilled work experience means that you’ve worked in 1 or more of these NOC training, education, experience and responsibilities (TEER) categories
- TEER 0
- TEER 1
- TEER 2
- TEER 3
Your skilled work experience must be paid work, including paid wages or earned commission. We don’t count volunteer work or unpaid internships.
You’re not eligible for the Canadian Experience Class if
- you’re a refugee claimant in Canada
- you’re working without authorization
- your work experience was gained without temporary resident status in Canada
Self-employment and student work experience
Self-employment and work experience gained while you were a full-time student (even if you were on a co-op work term) doesn’t count toward the minimum requirements for this program.
Exemption for physicians
We introduced a temporary public policy for foreign national physicians who
- were invited to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry on or after April 25, 2023, and submitted an application
- have work experience in providing publicly funded medical services in Canada (such as fee-for-service work) and
- aren’t eligible because they’re self-employed
We now count this work experience as Canadian work experience. When you create your Express Entry profile, to make it possible for your work experience to count as Canadian work experience, do not check the “Self-employed work” checkbox under Work experience in Canada.
Language ability
You must
- take approved language tests for
- writing
- reading
- listening
- speaking
- meet the minimum score required
- enter the test results in your Express Entry profile
Your language tests
- are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result
- must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence
Education
There is no education requirement for the Canadian Experience Class.
If you want to improve your rank in the Express Entry pool, there are 2 ways you can do this.
- If you went to school in Canada, you can get points for a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian
- secondary institution (high school) or
- post-secondary institution
- If you have foreign education, you can get points if you have both of these
- a completed educational credential
- an educational credential assessment report for immigration purposes that
- is from a designated organization
- shows your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian secondary institution (high school) or post-secondary institution
Admissibility
You must be admissible to Canada.
Where you can live in Canada
You must plan to live outside the province of Quebec. The province of Quebec selects its own skilled workers. If you plan on living in Quebec, see Quebec-selected skilled workers for more information.
When you fill out your profile, we’ll ask you where you plan to live in Canada. You don’t have to settle in that province or territory.
If you’re a Provincial Nominee, you must settle in the province or territory that nominated you.
Next steps
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