IntraSource

Skilled Migration in Canada

immegration

Skilled Worker – Express Entry

How Express Entry Works:

Express Entry is an online application system to manage immigration applications from skilled workers.

There are 3 immigration programs managed through Express Entry:

  1. Canadian Experience Class (Express Entry): The Canadian Experience Class is for skilled workers who have Canadian work experience and want to become permanent residents.

You must meet the required language levels needed for your job for each language ability

  • Writing, Reading, Listening and Speaking
  • have at least 1 year of skilled work experience in Canada, in the last 3 years before you apply—you can meet this in a few different ways:
    • full-time at 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full-time (1,560 hours)
    • equal amount in part-time work: for example 15 hours/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 work at more than 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months at more than 1 job = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
  • have gained your work experience by working in Canada while under temporary resident status with authorization to work

How the work experience is calculated?

Your skilled work experience must be paid work including paid wages or earned commission. Your volunteer work or unpaid internship hours are not counted towards your work experience.

For part-time work, you can work more or less than 15 hours/week as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours. You can work more than 1 part-time job to get the hours you need to apply.

Your excess working hours will not be counted if you have worked above 30 hours per week.

You are not eligible for the Canadian Experience Class if

  • you are a refugee claimant in Canada
  • you are working without authorization in Canada
  • your work experience was gained without temporary resident status in Canada

According to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), skilled work experience means:

  • managerial jobs (skill level 0)
  • professional jobs (skill type A)
  • technical jobs and skilled trades (skill type B)

Your work experience can be in 1 or more NOC 0, A or B jobs.

You must show that you have performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

Self-employment and student work experience

Self-employment and work experience gained while you were a full-time student in Canada (even if you were on a co-op work term) don’t count toward the minimum requirements for the Canadian Experience Class program.

Education

There is no education requirement for the Canadian Experience Class. But, if you want to improve your rank in the Express Entry pool for immigration purposes, 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:
    • secondary institution (high school) or
    • post-secondary institution

or

  • If you have foreign education, you can get points for:
  • a completed foreign credential, and
  • an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for immigration purposes from a designated organization showing that your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree, from a Canadian:
    • secondary institution (high school) or
    • post-secondary institution

Language ability

You must:

  • meet the minimum language level of:
    • Canadian Language Benchmark 7 for NOC 0 or A jobs or
    • Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for NOC B jobs
  • take approved language tests for writing, reading, listening and speaking and 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.

  1. Eligibility to apply as a Federal Skilled Worker (Express Entry): This program is for skilled workers with foreign work experience who want to immigrate to Canada permanently.

How this program works

This program has minimum requirements for:

  • skilled work experience
  • language ability
  • education

You must meet all the minimum requirements to be eligible.

Selection factors

If you meet all the minimum requirements, we’ll then assess your application based on:

  • age
  • education
  • work experience
  • whether you have a valid job offer
  • English and/or French language skills
  • adaptability (how well you’re likely to settle here)

These factors are part of a 100-point grid used to assess eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. You earn points for how well you do in each of the 6 factors.

The current pass mark is 67 points. Please visit the Selection factor point grid

How selection factor points work

The selection factor points to assess your eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Once you are in the Express Entry pool, there is a different system to rank your profile. The systems select the highest-ranking candidates from the pool and invite them to apply for permanent residence.

Skilled work experience

Skilled work experience means that you’ve worked in 1 of these National Occupational classifications (NOC) job groups:

  • Managerial jobs (skill type 0)
  • Professional jobs (skill level A)
  • Technical jobs and skilled trades (skill level B)

You must show that while working in your primary occupation, you performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

Your skilled work experience must be

  • in the same type of job (have the same NOC) as the job you want to use for your immigration application (called your primary occupation)
  • within the last 10 years
  • paid work (have been paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count)
  • at least 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total (30 hours per week)—you can meet this in a few different ways:
    • full-time at 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full-time (1,560 hours)
    • equal amount in part-time work: for example 15 hours/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/week for 12 months at more than 1 job = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)

Part-time work experience

Your skilled work experience must be paid work including paid wages or earned commission. We don’t count volunteer work or unpaid internships.

For part-time work, you can work more or less than 15 hours/week as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours. You can work more than 1 part-time job to get the hours you need to apply.

We don’t count any hours you work above 30 hours/week.

Student work experience

Work experience gained while you were studying may count towards your minimum requirements if the work:

Language ability

You must take approved language tests in English or French for Writing, reading, listening, and speaking, get a minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in all 4 abilities and enter the test results in your Express Entry profile

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

Education

If you went to school in Canada, you must have a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:

  • secondary institution (high school) or
  • post-secondary institution

If you have foreign education, you must have:

Proof of funds

You must show that you have enough money for you and your family to settle in Canada unless you are currently able to legally work in Canada and have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada

Admissibility

You must be admissible to Canada.

  1. Eligibility to apply for the Federal Skilled Trades Program (Express Entry): The Federal Skilled Trades Program is for skilled workers who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade.

Minimum requirements

To be eligible, you must meet the required language levels for each language ability for writing, reading, listening and speaking.

You must have at least 2 years of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience) in a skilled trade within the 5 years before you apply

  • your work experience must be for paid work (paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count)

Skilled work experience

Skilled trades for the Federal Skilled Trades Program are organized under these groups of the National Occupational Classification (NOC):

  • Major Group 72, industrial, electrical and construction trades
  • Major Group 73, maintenance and equipment operation trades
  • Major Group 82, supervisors and technical jobs in natural resources, agriculture and related production
  • Major Group 92, processing, manufacturing and utility supervisors and central control operators
  • Minor Group 632, chefs and cooks
  • Minor Group 633, butchers and bakers

The major NOC groups are subdivided into different occupations, and they are all skill type B.

You must show that you performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

If you don’t show that your experience meets the description in the NOC, CIC may refuse your application.

Find the NOC code, title and skill type or level for your job.

The work experience only counts after you are qualified to independently practice the occupation.

Education

There is no education requirement for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. But, 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:
    • secondary institution (high school) or
    • post-secondary institution

or

Get assessed by the province or territory

The applicant likely have to go to the province or territory to be assessed for your trade. You may also need an employer in Canada to give you experience and training.

To learn more about getting assessed, you should go to the website of the body that governs trades for the province/territory where you would like to live and work. The process is different, depending on where you want to go.

Each website has more details about certificates of qualification to work in that province or territory in a specific skilled trade, and what you have to do to get one.

If your trade is not regulated by a province or territory, it may be federally regulated (for example, airplane mechanic). You can find out who regulates your trade by visiting the website of the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials.

Language ability

You must meet the minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for speaking and listening, and Canadian Language Benchmark 4 for reading and writing.

You must take approved language tests in English or French for Writing, reading, listening, speaking and enter the test results in your Express Entry profile.

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

Proof of funds

You must show that you have enough money for you and your family to settle in Canada unless you are currently able to legally work in Canada and have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada

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, visit Quebec-selected skilled workers for more information.

When you fill out your profile, you will be asked where you plan to live in Canada. You don’t have to settle in that province or territory.

If you are a Provincial Nominee, you must settle in the province or territory that nominated you.

Documents for your application for permanent residence

If you are invited to apply, you will need to upload copies of the documents you used for your profile. Additionally, applicants will also need to upload the following:

  • police certificates
  • medical exams
  • proof of funds
  • birth certificate
    • required if you are declaring dependent children
  • use of a representative form (PDF, 137 KB)
    • required if you have hired a representative
  • common-law union form (PDF, 2.22 MB)
    • required if you have declared your marital status as “common-law”
  • marriage certificate
    • required if you have declared your marital status as “married”
  • divorce certificate and legal separation agreement
    • required if you have declared your marital status as “divorced”
  • death certificate
    • required if you have declared your marital status as “widowed”
  • adoption certificate
    • required when a dependent child is listed as “adopted”

Other documents

You only need to submit these if immigration Canada included them in your personalized document checklist. Your application may not be refused or rejected if you don’t submit these documents. They are only used to check if you meet the requirements of the program you are applying for.

To learn more about the skilled migration, please visit: Immigration to Canada-Skilled Workers and Professional

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