The Canadian Experience Class is one of the immigration programs through which an individual can get permanent residence in Canada. The CEC is a part of Canada’s Express Entry immigration system which is specifically designed for individuals who have worked in Canada for at least, one year.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry allows IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) to invite competent candidates to make applications for permanent residency in Canada. These candidates will be required to create an online Express Entry Profile to formally make an ‘Expression of Interest’ to settle in Canada. If they are eligible, their profiles are accepted and they are assigned a score and indexed under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) all depending on the personal information provided by them. The CEC is managed under the Express Entry.
Also read: A comprehensive guide on Express Entry Canada: Eligibility, Requirement and Cost
Advantages of Canadian Experience Class
- The CEC is processed quickly. The process is often within three to four months.
- Having had a one-year working experience in Canada gives the applicant access to CRS points for their application. It is because work experience is a highly valued factor under the CRS.
- Applicants are not required to provide proof of settlement funds as FSTC and FSWC candidates are.
However, there’s one drawback and that is that there’s no promise of receiving an invitation to apply even if you are qualified to apply for the CEC.
In this article, you will learn other top five reasons why CEC applications are refused.
Top 5 Reasons CEC Applications are Refused
To be eligible for the CEC application, you have to meet the eligibility criteria all classified under admissibility, language ability and some other minimum requirements. If you have once tried or failed or hoping you meet all the requirements, continue reading.
1. You did not successfully create your Express Entry Profile
This is the first step and it’s crucial to avoid mistakes as even the slightest of them can get your application denied.
2. You did not complete the following within the three years before your application
- 12 months of full-time work:
- 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full-time (1,560 hours)
Or
Equal amount in part-time hours, such as:
- 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 year full-time (1,560 hours)
- 30 hours/week for 12 months at over 1 job = 1 year full-time (1,560 hours). You can choose to work as many part-time jobs as you need to. Also, your work experience must be earned by being under temporary resident status and with an authorization to work.
This one-year work experience must be for the following:
- From jobs defined by the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC) as level 0, A or B
- For a full-time position or at the same time in a part-time position
- Legally obtained in Canada
These jobs skills must be either one or more of the following:
- Managerial jobs (skill level 0)
- Professional jobs (skill type A)
- Technical jobs and skilled trades (skill type B)
3. You do not meet the education requirements
Although there are no specific education requirements, applications are refused if you do not boost your Express Entry score by the following:
- Earning a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian secondary or tertiary school
- Obtaining a foreign credential
- Obtaining an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) that demonstrates prior education that meets Canadian standards.
Also read: What Is the Canadian Federal Skilled Worker Program?
tap to read
4. You do not meet the language requirements
You may have not taken the approved language test for reading, listening, writing and speaking or you did but neither did well. Below are the language requirements for the CEC:
- Benchmark 7 for NOC 0 or A jobs or Canadian Language Benchmark 5 for NOC B jobs.
If your CEC application is refused, your language test could have been invalid as you could not successfully describe the test result in your Express Entry profile or it was taken more than two years before your application.
5. You are not admissible
You are either not legally allowed to get into Canada or you could be a refugee claimant in the country.
Also, you filled to live in the province of Quebec. One of the application processes requires you to fill in where you would want to live and your application will be definitely refused if you filled in Quebec.
Another reason could be an individual filling outside the province or territory that nominated them especially if they are a provincial nominee.
Having listed the top five reasons why CEC applications are refused, here’s how to be eligible and successfully apply for CEC.
How to Apply for CEC
1. Work in Canada for one year
You must have Canadian work experience for at least one year. It is important to note that your self-employment work experience cannot take the place of the Canadian work experience. You can attain this experience through temporary visas such as the working holiday visa.
2. Meet the minimum requirements
Go through the requirements and ensure you meet them all. Also, ensure you complete the approved language tests such as IELTS and/or TEF for English and French respectively.
Create the Express Entry profile
As mentioned above, the CEC is managed under the Express Entry program, to qualify for the CEC, you must create an online Express Entry profile. This will include information on your work experience, age, education, language ability and some other important factors. Your profile is then ranked against other profiles in the pool by the CRS out of their given 1,200 scores.
As should be, candidates with the highest scores are invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada through IRCC.
Gather your documents
If you have received your Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Permanent Residence (PR), you will be required to gather all your documents most of which includes a criminal record check and a medical certificate. And you must submit your application within the first 60 days of your ITA.
Get Permanent Residence Confirmation
CEC applications are usually processed with four months. Once your application is approved, you will receive a confirmation of the PR document.
