Express Entry - Work experience
You will find below useful information that we hope will help understand the work experience required for Express Entry (EE).
One of the eligibility requirements for EE is your skilled work experience.
The following table gives a brief overview of the skilled work experience required for each federal economic immigration programs:
| Federal Skilled Worker Program | Have a work experience*:
- Of at least one year of continuous full-time or an equal amount in part-time**,
- At skill type 0, or skill levels A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC),
- In the same type of job as your primary NOC,
- Within the last 10 years,
- Paid work (volunteer work, unpaid internships, etc., do not count).
|
| Federal Skilled Trades Program | Have a work experience*:
- Of at least two years full-time or an equal amount of part-time hours**,
- In a skilled trade,
- Within the five years before you apply,
- That meets the job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC), except for needing a certificate of qualification, and
- Have an offer of full-time employment for a total period of at least one year or a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade issued by a Canadian provincial or territorial authority.
|
| Canadian Experience Class | Have a skilled work experience* in Canada:
- Of at least 12 months full-time (30 hours of paid work per week or more), or an equal amount in part-time hours**,
- In the three years before you apply,
- According to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), skilled work experience means:
- managerial jobs (NOC skill level 0),
- professional jobs (NOC skill type A),
- technical jobs and skilled trades (NOC skill type B).
|
*Work experience in Canada is not counted if you were:
- Studying full-time while you were working,
- Self-employed, or
- Not legally allowed to work in Canada.
**To qualify for the full-time work experience, or for the equal amount of part-time, here is how it is calculated:
- Full-time at 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours).
- Equal amount in part-time: 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours).
- 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).
For part-time work, you can work more or less than 15 hours/week as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours.
Please note that the work experience must be acquired over a period of at least one year, work in excess of 30 hours/37.5 hours per week over a shorter period cannot compensate for any shorter overall period of experience. | |
For more information on the work experience, we invite you to consult the
ministerial instructions respecting the Express Entry system.
