The Canadian Experienced Class Immigration Program is one of three ways through which applicants can immigrate to Canada using Express Entry program, which has an online pool of skilled workers, who go through a Comprehensive Ranking System to immigrate to Canada. It is for applicants who have Canadian work experience, who have already built networks and have experience of living in Canada.
The applicant must fulfil the following criteria for being eligible for this mode of permanent residence.
The applicant must have at-least 1 year of full-time or equivalent part-time work experience in Canada in the preceding three years before their application. The work experience must be in jobs specified in levels 0, A or B as per NOC guidelines. Work experience gained under self-employment or during full-time study is not counted towards the criteria. The applicant must have performed all essential duties and most of the main duties specified in the NOC.
The applicant must take an approved language test in either English or French from the following:
English
- Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP): The test taken should be the General test and not the General-LS test.
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS): The test should be taken in the General training format and not the Academic format.
French
- Test d’évaluation de français (TEF): The test results should prove the candidates written and oral communication skills.
- Test de connaissance du français (TCF): The test results should prove the candidates written and oral communication skills.
The applicants must demonstrate a minimum proficiency of CLB 7 for NOC level 0 or A jobs, and CLB 5 for NOC level B jobs for language skills of writing, reading, speaking and listening. The results have to be collated with the express entry profile. The results must not be more than 2 years old at the time of application.
- There are no mandatory educational requirements for the Federal Skilled Workers Program. Although, applicants can apply with the educational credentials as below to improve their score in the express entry ranking system:
- A degree/ diploma/ secondary/ post secondary credential from Canada.
- A foreign degree/ diploma/ secondary/ post secondary credential which has been proved to be equivalent to the Canadian counterparts through an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).
- The visitors must be eligible to visit Canada based on other norms which may be specific to the country of origin, depending on the economic and political situation in the country as well as the financial stability of the family.
- Some other aspects such as the nature of family relationships, purpose of visit and relations with the home country may also be looked at during the application process.
- The applicants have 60 days to complete their Express Entry applications. The selection criteria are a mix of several factors such as:
- Age
- Education
- Work Experience
- Adaptability with respect to settlement
All these criteria are mapped to a 100 point grid with points for each criteria. After calculation of each candidate’s scores, the applicants are ranked and the highest ranking applicants are invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada.
Note that this program is applicable for regions outside the province of Quebec. To settle in Quebec, the province has a different program.
The applications are typically processed in 6 months or less.