Express Entry

Canadian Experience Class

The Canadian Experience Class is for skilled workers who have Canadian work experience and want to become permanent residents.

Canadian skilled work experience

First, find out the National Occupational Classification (NOC) for your job. Then check if it meets the requirements for skilled work experience.

Find your NOC

Your skilled work experience must:

  • be in 1 or more of these NOC categories: training, education, experience and responsibilities (TEER) 0, 1, 2, or 3
    • Your experience can be in more than 1 NOC.
  • be gained by working in Canada while authorized to work under temporary resident status
    • If you worked remotely, you must have been physically in Canada and working for a Canadian employer.
  • show that you performed:
    • the actions in the lead statement of the NOC job description, and
    • most of the main duties listed
  • be paid work (you must have been paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count)
  • be at least 1 year of work or 1,560 hours total (30 hours per week) in the 3 years before you apply

Your skilled work experience must meet all the requirements to be eligible.

How to count your work hours

You can meet the 1,560 hour requirement in a few different ways:

  • full time at 1 job: up to 30 hours a week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
  • equal amount in part-time work: for example 15 hours a week for 24 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
    • You can work as many part-time jobs as you need to meet this requirement.
  • full time at more than 1 job: 30 hours a week for 12 months at more than 1 job = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)

Language ability

You must:

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 high school or post-secondary institution.
  • If you have foreign education, you can get points if you have both of these:

Admissibility

You must be admissible to Canada.

Some people aren’t allowed to come to Canada. There are different reasons we may not let you into Canada, such as security, criminal or medical reasons.

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.

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