Skip to content

Canadian Experience Class

Launched in January 2015, Express Entry (EE) is an electronic application system for Canada’s Economic Programs:

  1. Canadian Experience Class
  2. Federal Skilled Worker Class
  3. Federal Skilled Trades Class
  4. Select Provincial Nominee Programs

Express Entry gets you faster processing times and makes it easier to obtain a job before you arrive with prospective Canadian employers. For Skilled Workers who have relevant Canadian Work Experience and want to become permanent residents.

Minimum Requirements:

Language Requirements

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Listening
  • Speaking

Have at least 1 year of skilled work experience in Canada in the last 3 years before you apply:

  • Full Time Or Equal Amount in Part Time
  • Gained Canadian Work Experience Legally
  • Work Experience in NOC Levels:
  • Skill Level O (Managerial Jobs)
  • Skill Level A (Professional Jobs)
  • Skill Level B (Technical Jobs & Skilled Trades)

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 towards the minimum requirements for this program.

Education

  • There is no education requirement for CEC
  • If you want to improve your rank for Immigration purposes, there are 2 ways you can do this:
  1. If you went to school in Canada, you can get points for a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
    • Secondary school (high school) or
    • Post-secondary institution
  2. If you have foreign education, you can get points for:
    • a completed foreign credential, and
    • an Educational Credential Assessment report from a designated agency showing that your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
      • Secondary school (high school) or
      • Post-secondary institution

Language Ability

You must:

  • Meet language level of meet the minimum language level of:
    1. Canadian Language Benchmark 7 for NOC 0 or A jobs or
    2. Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for NOC B jobs
  • take approved language tests for:
    1. writing
    2. reading
    3. listening
    4. speaking
  • describe the test results in your Express Entry profile

Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result and must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.

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.


*please note these are minimum requirements, additional requirements will vary with each category/program*