At Globexa Immigration, we understand that many applicants have questions about how their Canadian work experience can be claimed under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Questions often come up about remote work, the required 52 weeks, working hours, different employers, NOC or Tier levels, work during studies, self-employment, and whether current employment is required. This blog covers these commonly asked questions and explains how Canadian experience is considered for CEC.
How to claim your experience in CEC, Canadian Experience Class. This is the topic of today. This is a mundane kind of topic because there are so many videos which are created on Canadian Experience Class. How to claim your experience and most of the people who create their Express Entry profile, most of them are in Canadian Experience Class. So many people know about Canadian Experience Class broadly. They know how to claim their experience. But still there are people who have doubts related to Canadian Experience Class about remote work and many other things.
Do you require to complete your experience in 52 weeks? Can you complete it earlier and what if you are doing your work remotely from another country? How is it going to be counted? There are so many doubts related to experience as well. So I decided to make this video. This video is going to be kind of question and answer session. I have decided to answer 18 questions and if you still have any other questions, you can ask your questions in comment and I am going to answer your questions as well.
1. Does Location Matter for Canadian Experience Class?
Does location matter? No, it does not matter as long as you are working from inside Canada. Even if your work is remote, it does not matter. And you can take this experience anywhere in Canada. So, in Canadian Experience Class, in Express Entry, it does not matter where you are working in Canada or in which province you are. So maybe you completed your study somewhere else but you are working somewhere else. Your entire experience throughout Canada is going to be counted as same.
It does not matter which place you are working. Also inside Canada, even if you are working remotely, still the experience is going to be counted. There is no problem in that. So don’t worry about your experience as long as you are inside Canada. Your experience is going to be counted. Location does not matter. Province does not matter. Any province is equally important or valued when it comes to your experience and counting of your experience in Canadian Experience Class.
2. How Many Hours and Weeks Are Required?
How much experience do you need to complete for Canadian Experience Class? It is going to be 1,560 hours. It will be completed in 52 weeks. You cannot complete it earlier than 52 weeks. It can be later than 52 weeks, but it cannot be earlier than 52 weeks. So just remember that.
Many people say that they are working 40 hours per week and ask whether their experience will be completed in nine months. No, it will still be completed in 52 weeks only, in 12 months. Maximum 30 hours per week, your experience will be counted. Remaining experience will not be counted. So if you are working for 40 hours per week, 45 hours per week or 60 hours per week, maximum 30 hours will be counted.
If you multiply 52 into 30, it becomes 1,560 hours. That is what you need to complete. You cannot complete your experience earlier if you are working 40 hours, 50 hours or 60 hours. For example, if you are working 60 hours per week, your experience will not be completed in six months. It will still take a minimum of 12 months. That is how you are going to become Canadian Experience Class.
But if you are working less than 30 hours, what will happen? For example, you are working 20 hours per week rather than 30 hours per week. It will take you around 16–17 months of time to complete your total 1,560 hours. Minimum 52 weeks will be there. Minimum 12 months will be there. After that, it can be more depending upon if you worked less than 30 hours.
For example, for six months you are working 30 hours per week but for the next six months you work for 15 hours per week. Six months of straight six-month experience will be counted straight away and then six months you work part-time, 15 hours per week. That six months will be completed in 12 months because you worked for 15 hours per week and the remaining 15 hours per week deficiency will be completed in the next six months. So overall, one year of experience will be completed in 18 months in that case.
Depending upon how much you are working, your timeline to complete your one year of experience will be counted according to that. That is your Canadian Experience Class.
3. Does Your Study or University Matter?
Does public university or private university matter after completion of your study? It does not matter. It does not matter whether you have studied in Canada or not. It does not matter whether you completed a UG diploma, PG diploma, master degree, private college or private university. It does not matter as long as you are working in Canada and you have work rights. Your experience is going to be counted towards Canadian Experience Class.
There is no need to worry about public university or private university. If you completed study from a private university, will it be counted? Yes, it will be counted. No worries. Level of study does not matter. First of all, whether you studied or not, it does not matter. For example, you are a spouse on spouse open work permit. Still your experience will be counted towards Canadian Experience Class, even though you did not study in Canada.
Study is not a criteria to get Canadian Experience Class experience. You can just get experience in Canada. Anywhere in Canada, it will be counted towards Canadian Experience Class.
4. Does the NOC or Tier Level Matter?
Does different NOC matter? No. Any NOC is fine. There are six levels of NOCs. Tier 0, Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4 and Tier 5. Tier 4 and 5 will not be counted. Other than that, if you are working one job in Tier 0, another job in Tier 1 and another job in Tier 2, you can combine all of them and complete your experience of 1,560 hours in total. It cannot be more than 30 hours, but overall, if you are getting 30 hours in three jobs, three different NOCs and three different tier levels, it does not matter. Different kinds of NOCs, the entire experience will be combined and you can calculate 30 hours per week.
For example, you are working on Tier 0 for 10 hours per week, Tier 1 for 10 hours per week and Tier 2 for 10 hours per week, and it becomes 30 hours per week. Great. You can calculate 30 hours and each week you can keep on calculating it, and at the end after 52 weeks you will complete 1,560 hours and it will complete your experience.
For example, in one week you are working 10 hours per week, another week 30 hours, then 10 hours, then 30 hours. You can keep on totalling this entire experience and it will complete your 1,560 hours. Whenever you complete 1,560 hours, you can have an Excel sheet maintain it. This week I worked 10 hours. This week I worked 5 hours. This week I worked maybe 30 hours. This week I worked 40 hours, but maximum will be calculated 30 hours. This week I worked 60 hours. Maximum will be calculated 30 hours. Next week I worked 10 hours. Next week 15. You can make a total of everything and after making a total of everything, if you are completing 1,560 hours, you become Canadian Experience Class.
5. Does the Employer Matter?
Does the employer matter? If you are working with one employer, another employer or multiple employers, no, it does not matter. You can get your experience with any number of employers. It does not matter. You just need to combine the entire experience and it will make you Canadian Experience Class.
Any number of employers is fine. A new employer or old employer is also fine. A new employer means recently someone opened the company or you are working with such kind of employer, and one employer is there who is three years old. That does not matter. In PNP usually there is a criteria. For example, in Ontario PNP employer needs to be a three-year-old company. In New Brunswick you require a two-year-old company. There is a requirement in PNP of this sort. But if you are working with a new employer or old employer, in Canadian Experience Class it does not matter.
Your new employer is also fine. Old employer is also fine. Any number of employers are also fine. So, don’t worry about it.
6. Does Part-Time or Full-Time Work Matter?
Does part-time or full-time job matter? No, it does not matter. If you are working part-time, 5 hours, 10 hours, 15 hours, 20 hours, 25 hours or 30 hours, even if you are working part-time or full-time, it does not matter. You can combine total everything and it will make you Canadian Experience Class. You need to reach a benchmark of 1,560 hours. As soon as you complete 1,560 hours, you become Canadian Experience Class.
30 hours per week is full-time job. You cannot count the number of hours more than 30 hours. Maximum is 30 hours per week. Even if you are working 60 hours, still the maximum will be counted as 30 hours per week.
7. Tier Level for Express Entry and PNP
Does tier level matter? Yes, tier level matters. Tier 0, 1, 2 and 3 will be counted. Anything below Tier 3, Tier 4 and 5, will not be counted in Canadian Experience Class.
Even if you are applying in PNP and it is linked with Express Entry, Express Entry-based PNP as well, you need to create an Express Entry profile there as well. If you are creating your profile, either you will become eligible in Federal Skilled Worker, then you can create your profile, or Canadian Experience Class, then you can create your profile. Anyways, you need to become eligible in Express Entry to create your profile.
In most of the cases, you need to complete your Canadian Experience Class of one year. Once you complete that, then you become eligible for creation of your Express Entry profile and then you will be able to go for that particular PNP stream. If the PNP stream is linked with Express Entry, then also you need to be getting the right experience, Tier 0, 1, 2 and 3. Then only it will be counted, whether the experience was taken outside Canada or inside Canada, and then only the experience will be counted, your profile will be created and then you will go with PNP.
So, even if it is PNP, the same rule will apply: Tier 0, 1, 2 and 3. Even if you are going for Canadian Experience Class, the same rule will apply. Federal Skilled Worker, same rule will apply in Express Entry. Tier 0, 1, 2 and 3 will be counted. Tier 4 and 5 jobs will not be counted.
8. Does Your Job Need to Be Related to Your Study?
Does my job need to be related to my study? No. Neither the study which you completed outside Canada nor inside Canada needs to be related to your previous study. So, don’t worry about it.
For example, you are having your IT study. You have done BCA, then you have done MCA or MTech, but now you are working in healthcare. You have done a short certificate and now after that short certificate you are working in healthcare. Will this experience be counted? The answer is yes because you have created a background for your healthcare experience and now you are able to do that job. There is no problem in that. It will be counted in Canadian Experience Class.
This healthcare experience is not counted with your previous formal study. It was in IT, computer science and now the experience is in healthcare. So, don’t worry about it. This experience will be counted. There is no problem in that.
9. Does Job Title Matter?
Does job title matter? Job title does matter, but not that much. There are two important things in a job reference letter. First is your job responsibilities. So, your NOC is going to be decided based on your job responsibilities. Even if your job title can be a little different here and there, still as per the job responsibilities, if you are meeting a different kind of NOC, then the NOC will be decided based on the responsibilities.
Job responsibilities are why the job reference letter with the responsibilities is very important. Second, for that particular NOC, there is, in the Job Bank, a wage rate. You need to check what is the wage rate. You need to measure the wage rate as well.
For example, you are getting a job as per the responsibilities. It is on Tier 0 level. Tier 0 is the highest level and your wage rate is $16 per hour. Now, this is not meeting actually, and a visa officer will have concern over this because you are showing your responsibility on Tier 0 but your wage rate is on lower level, so it will not be counted. Now the NOC will become a problem for you because you need to meet the minimum wage rate level, at least minimum wage rate level.
Sometimes you are required to meet the median wage rate level as well. But in Canadian Experience Class, you can meet the minimum wage rate level and that will be as per the Canadian Job Bank for each location. For each NOC, each location, it is going to be different. So, you need to check if you are meeting that requirement of wage rate and job responsibilities. Then you can claim this NOC. There is no problem in that.
In that case, your job title will not become that much of a problem. Don’t worry about it.
10. Does Work During Study Count?
Does work during study count? The answer is no. Work during study is not going to be counted. So, even if you were working full-time, earlier during COVID many people were able to work full-time, that experience will not be counted.
Even if you worked full-time due to a public policy, even if you are working part-time or full-time, it will not be counted. As soon as you submit your PG work permit application, after that whatever experience you have gained, the entire experience will be counted. So, during study it will not be counted.
After study, after the completion of study, once you submit your PG work permit application, even if you haven’t got the result, still it is going to be counted. So many people are able to complete their one year of experience even while waiting for PG work permit. This is a very great thing because now you have saved one year of time. You got the extra time buffer during the processing of PG work permit application and now you have three full years of PG work permit. Even before getting your PG work permit, you have completed one year of experience. So, this is one great thing that can happen to you and it will make you Canadian Experience Class even before getting your PG work permit. But during study it will not be counted.
11. Does Self-Employment Count?
Self-employment? No. Self-employment will not be counted. There are many people who create their own company or are working as self-employed, maybe Uber delivery or something. That will not be counted towards your experience in Canadian Experience Class.
Also, be really careful when you create a company in corporation in the name of your wife and that company, your wife is actually giving you experience and the same person is there in your PR application as well. Then a visa officer can find out that legally yes, it is allowed, but is it a legitimate job? It will become a question. So, be really careful in this kind of scenario where it can be easily caught that your experience is not a real experience.
If you want to do it, do it very smartly. It can be your friend’s company, and if your friend’s company is incorporated and giving you any kind of experience there, it is fine. It can work out. If you’re getting the salary in account, proper salary in account, everything is happening, in that case it is perfectly fine. New company, it is not a problem. But it should not be like your wife is giving you experience and you are creating experience like this. It can become a problem for you. So, don’t do it.
A visa officer can find it fishy and it can lead to misrepresentation. So, be really careful in this kind of scenario.
12. Does Canadian Experience From Outside Canada Count?
Does Canadian experience from outside Canada count? If you are having your company in Canada right now, even though you are working remotely from inside Canada, it will be counted. That has already been answered.
But if you are working from outside Canada, for example, you came on leave and after coming on leave you are in India right now and you are working remotely for the company, if it is paid work and you are working remotely, it will not be counted. Don’t count this particular period of experience which you have taken from outside Canada and you are working remotely from a different country. Don’t count it.
You can count a short leave period, paid leave period because paid leave is perfectly fine even though you were outside for two weeks or maybe three weeks. There is no fixed period for that. But let’s settle for two weeks or three weeks of time. If you did not take a leave for a long time, then in that case paid leave for two weeks or three weeks is fine. You can claim that as your experience. It is a paid leave. You are not working during that period.
But if you are working during that period remotely, then you cannot claim that experience. Just remember it. Leave, paid leave will be counted for 15 days or 20 days, that is fine. But if you are working during that period remotely, then it will not be counted. Remove that experience. Get a little more experience inside Canada to become Canadian Experience Class. So, do not count that period when you are working remotely from any other country.
13. Can Tier 0, 1, 2 and 3 Jobs Be Combined?
Can I combine Tier 0, 1, 2 and 3 jobs? The 52 weeks, 1,560 hours can be combined. You can combine Tier 0, 1, 2 and 3, all the tier levels, all the NOCs, all the employers, everything can be counted. But maximum it can be 30 hours per week or less.
14. Do I Need to Be Currently Employed?
Do I need to be currently employed at the time of application? Neither at the time of creation of your profile nor at the time of your PR application. None of these periods require you to be employed. It is not mandatory. If you have completed your Canadian Experience Class, your 52 weeks of 12 months of experience and 1,560 hours, if you have completed that particular experience, after that even if you are not employed, you will still be counted as Canadian Experience Class. You do not require to stay in the job.
In PNP, there is a requirement most of the time that you need to stay with the employer and you need to be employed at the time of processing of application. That kind of condition is there. It is not a condition in Canadian Experience Class in Express Entry. Even if you are not employed right now but you have completed one year of experience, great.
After that, you can create the profile even at the time of application. You do not require to be in a job or with your previous employer. No, it is not a requirement.
15. How Old Can Your CEC Experience Be?
How old can my CEC experience be? To be in CEC, to be counted as CEC, you need to have your one year of experience in the last three years. You need to have your one year of experience in the last three years.
If you have experience before that, still you can claim points but you will not be called Canadian Experience Class. Even if you got your experience maybe four years back, will it give points to you? Yes, it will give points to you, but it will not make you Canadian Experience Class.
If the draws are coming in Canadian Experience Class and your experience was four years old, it will be counted but you will not get the draws in Canadian Experience Class. You will require to wait for all-program draws which are not happening right now. So, in the last three years, you need to have at least one year of Canadian experience. That will be counted as Canadian Experience Class.
Previous experience after three years or older than three years will give you points but it will not make you eligible under Canadian Experience Class.
16. Does CEC Experience Need to Be Continuous?
Do I need continuous experience? No. The answer is no. In the last three years, it can be in parts. So, you work for two months, then three months, then four months, and there are gaps of two, three, four or five months. It is fine.
There can be gaps. In total, if it is becoming one year of experience, it will make you Canadian Experience Class.
Do I need one year of experience from the same employer? No. It can be any number of employers. You can combine all of them. All the employers need to be registered. That is it. Old employer or new employer, it does not matter. Tier level does not matter. It has already been explained.
17. Does Remote Work Count?
Does remote work count? Yes. If you are inside Canada, it will be counted. If you are outside Canada, it will not be counted.
Last is, does unpaid work count? No. Obviously, if it is unpaid work, it is not going to be counted. So, you can’t add it.
If it is statutory holidays, in that case, yes, you can count your holidays. It is not a problem. For example, Canada Day or any other holiday is there. If it is paid work, it will be counted in your experience. You can calculate. For example, in a week you work for four days and the fifth day is a holiday but you get the pay for that particular holiday. Yes, it will be counted in your experience because it is statutory holiday and it will be counted in your experience.
17. Canadian Experience Class Experienc
