Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements. They must:

• Have obtained at least one year of skilled, professional or technical work experience in Canada within 36 months of the application date; and
• Meet or surpass a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 5 (“initial intermediate”) or 7 (“adequate intermediate proficiency”), depending on the level of the job; and
• Plan to live and work outside of the province of Quebec (individuals with work experience in Quebec and who plan to reside in Quebec may apply to the Quebec Experience Class).

Applicants can remain in Canada throughout the application process. However, the Canadian Experience Class is also open to individuals who are no longer in Canada, provided that they submit their application within three years of leaving their job in Canada.

The Canadian Experience Class requirements are based on a pass or fail model. If the minimum requirements are met, the applicant is eligible to enter the Express Entry pool.

Note: Self-employment and work experience gained while you were a full-time student (for example, on a co-op work term) do not count under this program.

Note: Qualifying work experience must be full time and skilled. “Full-time” refers to 30 hours per week. Part-time work will be considered, but only on a pro-rata basis. For example, 6 months in a part-time skilled position at 15 hours per week will count as three months towards the required 12. Multiple concurrent part-time jobs can also be used to meet the experience requirement.

Note: Any work experience acquired in Canada without valid work authorization will not be considered. Nor will periods of self-employment or work experience gained while the candidate was enrolled in a program of full-time study.