Permanent Residence – Canada Experience Class

The “Canada Experience Class” is a new immigration category that will make it easier for foreign students studying in Canada and temporary foreign workers with jobs in Canada to immigrate to Canada on a permanent basis. The class is available to persons with work experience in any skilled occupation. Only one year of work experience in Canada is required.

There is also a language requirement. Most applicants must show moderate proficiency in either English or French.  Language test results from an approved testing organization must be submitted along with the application in every case.

As of January 1, 2015, all Canadian Experience Class applications will go through a two step process. The first step is the filing of a profile under the Express Entry System. Candidates will be ranked against one another based on a new “Comprehensive Ranking System.” Every few weeks the government will conduct a “draw,” in which the highest ranked applicants will be issued invitations to apply for permanent residence. These applications will be processed in 6 months in 80% of the cases.

Persons with a job offer from a Canadian employer will be guaranteed enough points to obtain an invitation to apply. However, the job offer must be supported by a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This involves advertising the job to determine if Canadian workers are available. Our office is now accepting cases under the Express Entry system. For more information, see our web page on Express Entry.