What is the Canadian Experience Class (CEC)?

What is the Canadian Experience Class (CEC)?

This category includes foreign graduates and foreign workers who have gained qualifying work experience in Canada.

To be eligible to apply, you must:

    be a foreign graduate or temporary foreign worker with at least 1 year of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada; and
    have been a worker or student in good standing in Canada; and
    meet the language requirements in English or French; and
    make your request during the 3 years following the end of your employment in Canada; and
    intend to work outside the province of Quebec.

What is a foreign graduate?

You must have graduated from a recognized university or college. You must have studied full time for at least 2 academic years.

Some private institution or career college programs may be eligible if the program and institution have been approved by the province and authorized to graduate you.

You will find links to the lists of approved establishments at the bottom of this page. You can also ask your institution's registrar or student services office if it is an approved institution.

English as a second language (ESL) programs do not count towards the calculation of 2 years of study.
What is qualified work experience?

Your work experience must correspond to Skill Type 0 (Management Positions) or Skill Type Level A (Professional Positions) or B (Technical Positions or Skilled Trades) in Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC).

You must have gained your full-time or part-time equivalent work experience. Full time must be at least 30 hours per week.
Foreign graduates

To apply as an international graduate, you must have at least 1 year of full-time work experience in Canada.

If you are in a co-op program (or other study program that includes work placement or internship), your co-op work experience does not count toward that year's experience calculation. You can only consider work experience acquired after graduation.

You must acquire your work experience within two years of applying.
Foreign workers

To apply as a foreign worker, you must have at least one year of full-time work experience in Canada.

You must have acquired your work experience during the three years preceding your application.
What if I have completed a post-secondary program in Canada?

If you are a graduate from a post-secondary institution in Canada and have studied full-time for at least two academic years, you may be eligible to apply to the CEC.

You must still have the required work experience to be able to apply. You must have gained this work experience after graduation, and not with a student visa. If you obtained work experience while in possession of a post-graduation work permit or similar work permit, this experience is considered valid.

If you were in a post-secondary co-op program (or other academic program with an internship), your co-op work experience does not count towards the work year. You can count work experience only if you get it after you graduate. Working part-time while you were a full-time student does not count towards your qualifying work experience.
What are the language requirements?

You must provide proof of your knowledge of English or French when submitting your application. You must take a test with a body designated for the assessment of language skills.

The results of your language assessment must not precede the date of your application by more than a year.

You can find more information on language requirements on the IRCC website.