Paid Vacation outside Canada+International Business Trip under CEC

[Sralf]

Hey all:
I have an urgent issue that I just realized before creating the EE profile under CEC category. Please help me to clarify the following two conditions so that I know when to enter the pool safely.

1. I took a two-week paid vacation to China between Feb.1st to 14th in 2016, will this count to the Canadian working experience? Below is what I found on the CIC website, I am not sure how to interpret the paragraph. It
sounds like any two-week vacation inside Canada is fine but it doesn't say anything about vacation outside Canada.

"An allowance for a reasonable period of vacation time will generally be made in calculating the period of qualifying work experience (e.g., a two-week period of paid vacation leave within a given 52-week period in which the applicant was engaged in qualifying work experience). An allowance for normal vacation time during a period of qualifying work experience cannot be used as a substitute or proxy for meeting the in-Canada element of the work experience requirement (i.e., work experience obtained outside Canada will not be considered as though the applicant had been on a period of vacation in order to be counted as part of the period of in-Canada work experience). While officers will account for a reasonable period of vacation time in calculating the period of qualifying work experience in Canada, each application is considered on its own merits with a final decision based on a review of all the information available to the officer at the time of decision."

2. I was outside Canada for about 17 days with the purpose of business development and customer visit, my employer can provide me with a explanation letter. Is this 17 days included in the 1 year Canadian working experience?

I understand one should always give himself/herself some time after he/she gains 1 year experience. I really want to enter the pool ASAP since there will be likely a CRS surge in May/June once PNP candidates start to get in the pool and get 600 bonus points. I will be standing at 439 once I fulfill the one-year work experience and really don't want to let this opportunity slip away.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated!

 

[s23srinivas]

Hey all:
I have an urgent issue that I just realized before creating the EE profile under CEC category. Please help me to clarify the following two conditions so that I know when to enter the pool safely.

1. I took a two-week paid vacation to China between Feb.1st to 14th in 2016, will this count to the Canadian working experience? Below is what I found on the CIC website, I am not sure how to interpret the paragraph. It
sounds like any two-week vacation inside Canada is fine but it doesn't say anything about vacation outside Canada.

"An allowance for a reasonable period of vacation time will generally be made in calculating the period of qualifying work experience (e.g., a two-week period of paid vacation leave within a given 52-week period in which the applicant was engaged in qualifying work experience). An allowance for normal vacation time during a period of qualifying work experience cannot be used as a substitute or proxy for meeting the in-Canada element of the work experience requirement (i.e., work experience obtained outside Canada will not be considered as though the applicant had been on a period of vacation in order to be counted as part of the period of in-Canada work experience). While officers will account for a reasonable period of vacation time in calculating the period of qualifying work experience in Canada, each application is considered on its own merits with a final decision based on a review of all the information available to the officer at the time of decision."

2. I was outside Canada for about 17 days with the purpose of business development and customer visit, my employer can provide me with a explanation letter. Is this 17 days included in the 1 year Canadian working experience?

I understand one should always give himself/herself some time after he/she gains 1 year experience. I really want to enter the pool ASAP since there will be likely a CRS surge in May/June once PNP candidates start to get in the pool and get 600 bonus points. I will be standing at 439 once I fulfill the one-year work experience and really don't want to let this opportunity slip away.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated!

Hi Sralf,
Based on my experience,
1) You will get the credit for the paid vacation abroad. I had a similar situation, started working in Canada on 31 Aug 2015 went on vacation to India (home country) from Dec 2015 to Jan 2016 (28 days). Applied on 5th Oct 2016 just to give me a bit of room not that it would matter as I had additional 600 due to the job offer. Since you took the vacation till Feb 14th, you seem covered in any case if you apply now.

2) You will get the credit for travelling abroad towards business development activities if it is in line with your job responsibilities as per your NOC and you got paid by your employer for that duration. I do not see a reason as to why the officer would not credit this time towards your work experience. It is better to attach a letter of invite or such used for initiating the travel as a proof to your application.

All the best with your application.

Regards,

 

[jes_ON]

1. I took a two-week paid vacation to China between Feb.1st to 14th in 2016, will this count to the Canadian working experience? Below is what I found on the CIC website, I am not sure how to interpret the paragraph. It
sounds like any two-week vacation inside Canada is fine but it doesn't say anything about vacation outside Canada.

It doesn't matter where you go on vacation. The experience will count.

What that paragraph is saying is that you cannot work outside of Canada, and then call it "vacation" in order to count it as work experience.

 

[Sralf]

Hi Sralf,
Based on my experience,
1) You will get the credit for the paid vacation abroad. I had a similar situation, started working in Canada on 31 Aug 2015 went on vacation to India (home country) from Dec 2015 to Jan 2016 (28 days). Applied on 5th Oct 2016 just to give me a bit of room not that it would matter as I had additional 600 due to the job offer. Since you took the vacation till Feb 14th, you seem covered in any case if you apply now.

2) You will get the credit for travelling abroad towards business development activities if it is in line with your job responsibilities as per your NOC and you got paid by your employer for that duration. I do not see a reason as to why the officer would not credit this time towards your work experience. It is better to attach a letter of invite or such used for initiating the travel as a proof to your application.

All the best with your application.

Regards,

Hey dude: Thanks for the reply. I was laid off from this company so that I have to calculate the earliest time to enter the pool. If I was still there I would never need to worry about this issue since it's already March and I will have a 1 year working experience by now regardless of the vacation's counting method. I think it's really controversial to conclude the business trips outside Canada can be counted towards the "Canadian Experience" and it is just a "grey area" which CIC fails to clarify. Better safe than sorry, I will try to work 17 more days to cover that.

 

[Sralf]

Thanks Jes, what about the business trips? If the vacation counts to the experience will the business trip count as well?

 

[Shail321]

Guys, I am on a business trip outside canada for a canadian firm for 3 months.
My offer letter clearly mentions that I would need to travel a lot.

I am paid in CAD and am paying taxes jn canada.

Will this be considered in my CEC ?