Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program was launched by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to offer a dedicated pathway for permanent residence applicants who have Canadian work experience that they obtained through a temporary work permit.
The CEC has proven one of Canada’s largest immigration pathways for skilled workers. It is one of the three immigration programs that are managed by the Express Entry program and successful applicants will enjoy one of the fastest immigration procedures in Canadian immigration.
Benefits of the CEC
Canada’s federal and provincial governments through CEC encourage more temporary foreign workers and international students to build their futures in Canada. If you apply for Canada PR Visa, you have the following three advantages:
- Canadian experience enables candidates to obtain more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points under Express Entry. This further increases their chances of obtaining permanent residence.
- Applications are processed much faster with ideal cases taking three to four months.
- Due to fewer documents required the procedure becomes smooth for immigrants.
- The applicant is not required to show proof of settlement funds to IRCC.
Eligibility Criteria
Note: Candidate mustn’t have work experience in Quebec and plan to live and work outside of the province of Quebec. Quebec Experience Class provides the opportunity for individuals with work experience in Quebec and who plan to reside in Quebec. CEC does not count work experience as Self-employment and work experience gained while the candidate was a full-time student (for example, on a co-op work term)
Apply with a few simple steps
IRCC uses Express Entry to manage skilled worker applications for three programs including the CEC. If you have lived in Canada before and gained eligible work experience here, you may be a strong candidate for the CEC. In addition, you may also be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and if you have a trades background, the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
The first step is to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria of the CEC or one of the other Express Entry programs. If you are eligible, you submit an Express Entry profile on IRCC’s website. Approximately every two weeks, IRCC holds Express Entry draws awarding permanent residence invitations to candidates with the highest CRS scores. CRS scores are determined based on each candidate’s human capital characteristics including their age, education, language skills, work experience, and Canadian experience, among other criteria.
If you receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence, you need to submit a completed application to IRCC within the specified deadline. IRCC aims to process applications in six months or less.
How to apply for a Canada PR Visa through CEC?
You can apply for Canada PR Visa with the CEC program
if you follow the simple steps
your Canadian Work Permit: With a work permit, you will be allowed to work in Canada which is a mandatory requirement for this program.
Obtain your Canadian work experience: You are required to have a minimum of one year of work experience to be eligible for this program.
Meet the minimum eligibility criteria: You have to make sure that you meet all the minimum requirements for this program.
Create your Express entry profile: By filling in your credentials you can now create your express entry profile and get submitted into the Express Entry pool.
Receive an ITA: If you can clear the latest CRS score cut-off, then you will get an ITA (invitation to apply).
Submit your Canada PR Visa application: submit your application with all the requisite documents within 60 days.
Confirmation of Permanent Resident (COPR): After the successful evaluation of PR Visa application, COPR will be received by applicant.