The Canadian Experience Class Program is a category of Canadian immigration under which temporary foreign workers in Canada and international students who have graduated from Canadian post-secondary institutions may qualify for a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa.
As an individual applying for Permanent Residence under the Canadian Experience Class, you must:
- Be a foreign worker who has accumulated a minimum of two years of full time skilled work experience in Canada, or
- An international graduate from an approved Canadian post-secondary educational institution who has accumulated at least one year of skilled full-time work experience in Canada
- Apply for Permanent Residence while working in Canada or within a year of having left your Canadian employment
- Intend to settle outside the Province of Quebec
Applicants who intend to settle in the Province of Quebec will have to submit their application through the Ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles du Québec, as Quebec has its own selection process.
Yes, all experience within Canada is taken into account provided that you intend to live outside the Province of Quebec.
For international graduates, your work experience does not have to be related to your education, as long as you have accumulated the work experience after graduating from an approved Canadian post-secondary educational institution.
Yes, provided that you have accumulated at least two years of full time skilled work experience in Canada.
Yes, provided that you submit your application to the Canadian Immigration Visa Office within a year of having left your Canadian employment.
When considering education, all candidates must have acquired at least two years of academic study in Canada and must have graduated from an approved Canadian post-secondary educational institution to qualify for the Canadian Experience Class.
There is, however an exception to this rule. You would still be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class in the event that you have completed a one-year Master’s degree after completing another program that is one year in length and from an approved Canadian post-secondary educational institution. The programs must be completed within two years.
Yes, although your new application through the Canadian Experience Class program will be subject to new fees unrelated to your Skilled Worker application.
English- or French-as-a-second language courses do not count toward education requirements under the Canadian Experience Class. However, if your education in Canada includes a second language component, that education can be counted provided that the second language component does not make up more than half of your course load.
