Canadian Experience Class

If you are a temporary foreign worker or a foreign student who graduated in Canada, you often have the qualities to make a successful transition from temporary to permanent residence. You are familiar with Canadian society and can contribute to the Canadian economy. You should have knowledge of English or French and qualifying work experience.
Applying to stay in Canada permanently in your case is simple. You can do this under the Canadian Experience Class. All the guides, information and forms you need to apply are included here.
Before you apply, make sure you get to know the requirements and current application procedures. After you apply, make sure you return to this website to find out about the steps that follow.

Canadian Experience Class:
Who can apply

You must meet these minimum requirements to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class. You must:

• plan to live outside the province of Quebec
• be either:
  • a temporary foreign worker with at least two years of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada, or
  • a foreign graduate from a Canadian post-secondary institution with at least one year of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada
• have gained your experience in Canada with the proper work or study authorization
• apply while working in Canada – or – within one year of leaving your job in Canada
• include the results of an independent language test (from an agency designated by CIC) with your application

According to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), skilled work experience means:

• Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations) or
• Skill Level A (professional occupations) or
• Skill Level B (technical occupations and skilled trades)

Your application will be assessed on two requirements if you apply as a temporary foreign worker:

• your work experience and
• your ability in English or French.

If you apply as a graduate of a Canadian post-secondary educational institution with Canadian work experience, it will be assessed using the above requirements, as well as:

• your education.

Principal applicant

If you are married or living with a common-law partner in Canada, and she/he also meets the above requirements, you can decide which one of you will apply for the Canadian Experience Class as a principal applicant.

Canadian Experience Class:
How to apply

Follow these steps to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class:

1. Obtain an application package
2. Read the guide
3. Complete the application form and attach the necessary documents
4. Calculate and pay your fees
5. Mail the application form and documents

1. Obtain an application package

The package includes the application guide and all the forms you need to fill out. Download and print the application package.

2. Read the guide

Read the guide carefully before you complete the application form. The fee for processing your form is not refundable, so make sure you are eligible to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class before you apply.
Photocopy the blank forms and use one as a working copy. Keep the working copy for your records.

3. Complete the application form and attach the necessary documents

The application package contains instructions. Read those instructions and provide the required documents. The document checklist in the application kit will tell you what documents to include.
Be sure to use the guide to complete the application.
Answer all questions carefully, completely and truthfully. Answers can be typed or handwritten (print clearly in black ink). Applications containing incomplete forms or missing documents will not be processed, but will be returned to you to be completed properly.
You must also take a language test and include your results.

4. Calculate and pay your fees

Use the Fee Calculator to calculate your application fees.  Select “Immigration Applications for Persons Outside Canada” and fill the section under “Other classes of applicants - Skilled Workers, Provincial Nominees”.
You will have to pay the following fees:

• The processing fee for you and your dependants must be paid when you apply. It is not refundable, even if your application is not approved.
• Wait until your application is processed to pay the Right of Permanent Residence fee for you and your accompanying spouse or common-law partner, if applicable. It must be paid before Citizenship and Immigration Canada issues your permanent resident visa. This fee is refundable if you cancel your application, if your application is not approved, or if you do not use your visa.

You will also have to pay fees to third parties for:

• your medical examination
• a police certificate, if you need one as part of your criminal and security check, and
• your language test.

Information on how to pay your processing fee and your Right of Permanent Residence fee is included in the instructions for the visa office where you submit your application. Note that applicants in Canada must submit their applications to CIC’s visa office in Buffalo, U.S.

Applicants in Canada

You may pay by Canadian cheque, bank draft or money order made payable to the “Canadian Consulate General.” Do not enclose cash.
Please submit your application fee in Canadian funds.

Applicants outside Canada

You can find information on fee payment methods on the website of the visa office responsible for your area. Visa offices cannot accept receipts for fees paid in Canada.
Note: Personal cheques are not accepted as payment.

5. Mail the application form and documents

Applicants in Canada

Mail your application to CIC’s visa office in Buffalo, United States. The address is included in your application kit.

Applicants outside Canada

Mail your application to the visa office serving your home country.

Canadian Experience Class:
After applying

Once CIC has made a decision on your application, you will be sent a letter explaining the steps to take.
CIC’s Call Centre cannot answer questions about applications under the Canadian Experience Class. You must wait for an initial confirmation from CIC that your application has been received. This may take up to three months after applying.
The initial confirmation will explain the next steps.
If accepted, you will be sent a letter explaining your options to gain permanent residence, the final step. This means meeting with an immigration officer. You will need to make sure you have:

• your valid passport or travel documents. Your passport must be a regular, private passport. You cannot immigrate to Canada with a diplomatic, government service or public affairs passport.
• your valid permanent resident visa, and your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). The officer will make sure you complete this final step before or on the expiry date on your permanent resident visa. Please note that this document cannot be extended. Make sure you use it before it expires.

The officer will ask you a few questions to make sure you still meet the requirements to immigrate to Canada. The questions will be similar to the ones you answered on your Application for Permanent Residence in Canada. This should only take a few minutes.
Your application will be denied if you give false or incomplete information, or if you do not satisfy the officer that you meet the requirements to become a permanent resident of Canada.
If there are no problems during this final step, the officer will grant you permanent resident status. The officer will also confirm your Canadian mailing address. Your permanent resident card will be mailed to you at this address.

Skilled workers and professionals: Who can apply—Proof of funds

The Government of Canada does not provide financial support to new skilled worker immigrants.
You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada. You cannot borrow this money from another person. You must be able to use this money to support the costs of living for your family.
You will need to provide proof of your funds to the Canadian visa office in your home country when you submit your application for immigration.
The amount of money you need to support your family is determined by the size of your family. These amounts are updated every year.

Number of Family Members	Funds Required (in Canadian dollars)
1	$11,115
2	$13,837
3	$17,011
4	$20,654
5	$23,425
6	$26,419
7 or more	$29,414

You do not have to show that you have these funds if you have arranged employment in Canada.

How much money should you bring?

Find out how much it costs to live where you are planning to settle in Canada.
Bring as much money as possible to make moving and finding a home in Canada easier.

Disclosure of funds

If you are carrying more than C$10,000, tell a Canadian official when you arrive in Canada. If you do not tell an official, you may be fined or put in prison. These funds could be in the form of:

• cash
• securities in bearer form (for example, stocks, bonds, debentures, treasury bills) or
• negotiable instruments in bearer form (for example, bankers’ drafts, cheques, travellers’ cheques or money orders).

Self-employed persons:
Definitions

In order to qualify, you must first meet the definition of a self-employed person. The following terms are defined in the regulations:

• Self-employed person
• Relevant experience
• Specified economic activities

Self-employed person means a foreign national who has relevant experience and has the intention and ability to be self-employed in Canada and to make a significant contribution to specified economic activities in Canada.
Relevant experience in respect of

1. a self-employed person, means a minimum of two years of experience, during the period beginning five years before the date of application for a permanent resident visa and ending on the day a decision is made on the application. The experience must consist of:
   1. in respect of cultural activities,
      1. two one-year periods of experience in self-employment in cultural activities, or
      2. two one-year periods of experience in participation at a world class level in cultural activities, or
      3. a combination of a one-year period of experience described in (A), above, and a one-year period of experience described in (B), above,
   2. in respect of athletics,
      1. two one-year periods of experience in self-employment in athletics, or
      2. two one-year periods of experience in participation at a world class level in athletics, or
      3. a combination of a one-year period of experience described in (A), above, and a one-year period of experience described in (B), above, and
   3. in respect of the purchase and management of a farm, two one-year periods of experience in the management of a farm.

Specified economic activities, in respect of

1. a self-employed person, means cultural activities, athletics or the purchase and management of a farm; and
2. a self-employed person selected by a province, has the meaning provided by the laws of the province.

Skilled workers and professionals: Who can apply

Skilled workers are people who are selected as permanent residents based on their ability to become economically established in Canada.
Federal skilled worker applications are assessed for eligibility according to the criteria set out below.
For your application to be eligible for processing, you must:

• include the results of your official language proficiency test, AND
• have a valid offer of arranged employment, OR
• have one year of continuous full-time paid work experience in at least one of the occupations listed here.

Work experience minimum requirements
If your application is eligible for processing, it will then be assessed against minimum requirements.
Your work experience must be:

• for at least one year, continuous, and paid (full-time or the equivalent in part-time), AND
• Skill Type 0 (managerial occupations) or Skill Level A (professional occupations) or B (technical occupations and skilled trades) on the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC) list, AND
• within the last 10 years.

If you meet the above minimum requirements, your application will be processed according to the six selection factors in the skilled worker points grid , which are:

• your education
• your abilities in English and/or French, Canada’s two official languages
• your work experience
• your age
• whether you have arranged employment in Canada, and
• your adaptability.

You must also show that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada.

Note: If you are applying under one of the 29 eligible occupations, as of June 26, 2010, a maximum of 20,000 Federal Skilled Worker applications will be considered for processing in the following 12 months. Within the 20,000 cap, a maximum of 1,000 Federal Skilled Worker applications per eligible occupation will be considered for processing each year.

These limits do not apply to applications with an offer of arranged employment.

If you are not sure if you should apply as a skilled worker, you can:

• use the eligibility tool to get an idea of whether your application would be eligible for processing, then
• try a self-assessment test to see if you might earn enough points to qualify.

There are many ways to immigrate to Canada. If you don’t meet the criteria to apply under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, you may qualify under another category.

Refugees Canada

Refugees

Refugees and people needing protection are people in or outside Canada who fear returning to their home country. In keeping with its humanitarian tradition and international obligations, Canada provides protection to thousands of people every year.
Canada offers refugee protection to people in Canada who fear persecution or whose removal from Canada would subject them to a danger of torture, a risk to their life or a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.
Groups and individuals can sponsor refugees from abroad who qualify to come to Canada.

Refugees: Refugee claims in Canada

Canada offers refugee protection to people in Canada who fear persecution or whose removal from Canada would subject them to a danger of torture, a risk to their life or a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.
If you feel that you will be persecuted or otherwise at risk as mentioned above if you return to your home country, you may be able to seek protection in Canada as a refugee.

Refugees: Resettlement from outside Canada

Resettlement is the term used by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to describe the legal process of bringing a refugee to Canada to live as a permanent resident.
CIC relies on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), other referral organizations and private sponsorship groups to identify and refer refugees for resettlement in Canada.
Private sponsoring groups are groups or corporations that have signed an agreement with Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. In this agreement, they promise to provide funds and carry out certain duties to sponsor refugees who come to Canada.
CIC uses three legal processes, which are divided into refugee classes, for resettling refugees in Canada. The three refugee classes are:

• Convention Refugees Abroad Class
• Country of Asylum Class
• Source Country Class

In unusual circumstances, refugees from some countries may apply directly for resettlement to Canada through the Source Country Class.

Refugees: Sponsoring refugees

Each year, millions of people around the world are forced to flee their homelands to escape persecution, war or severe human rights abuses. Often these people are never able to return home.
Groups and individuals can sponsor refugees from abroad who qualify to come to Canada.
Sponsors are responsible for providing financial settlement assistance (except for Joint Assistance Sponsorship cases) for refugees once they arrive in Canada. Sponsors must also provide emotional and significant settlement assistance for the duration of the sponsorship period.
Most sponsorships last for one year, but some refugees may be eligible to receive assistance from their sponsors for a longer period of time.

Sponsors in Quebec

Quebec has its own process for sponsoring refugees. Sponsors who live in the province of Quebec should contact the Quebec ministry that handles immigration. You can find a link to its website in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

World Refugee Day

Every year on June 20, World Refugee Day gives us the chance to focus the world’s attention on the millions of refugees in need of protection.
Ours is a shared history of accommodating differences in culture, language, and religion—and an abiding belief in values like human dignity and freedom of conscience.
Since 1776 when more than 40,000 people loyal to the Crown, called “Loyalists,” fled the oppression of the American Revolution to settle in Nova Scotia and Quebec, Canada has provided protection to those in need. Canada also provided protection to thousands of slaves who escaped from the United States and followed “the North Star,” and settled in Canada via the Underground Railroad, a Christian anti-slavery network.
Since World War II, Canadians have provided refuge to over 1 million refugees with private sponsors accounting for the resettlement of over 200,000 people.
In helping refugees begin a new life, Canadians are helping to ensure we maintain our international obligations and, at the same time, build stronger communities and fulfil the promise of Canada – the most welcoming nation in the world.

Provincial nominees

Persons who immigrate to Canada under the Provincial Nominee Program have the skills, education and work experience needed to make an immediate economic contribution to the province or territory that nominates them. They are ready to establish themselves successfully as permanent residents in Canada.
To apply under the Provincial Nominee Program, applicants must be nominated by a Canadian province or territory.
Consult this section to find all the information and required forms to apply as a provincial nominee. Because the criteria for provincial nomination are determined by the individual provinces and territories, they can change without notice. For this reason, consult this site and the corresponding provincial site regularly before submitting your application.
Before you apply, make sure you are familiar with the current application procedures. After you apply, make sure you return to this web page to find out about the steps that follow.

Self-employed persons immigrants

Self-employed persons

The Self-Employed Persons Program seeks to attract applicants who have the intention and ability to become self-employed in Canada. Self-employed persons are required to have either:

• relevant experience that will make a significant contribution to the cultural or athletic life of Canada or
• experience in farm management and the intention and ability to purchase and manage a farm in Canada.

Self-employed persons:
Who can apply

To be eligible as a self-employed person, you must meet the following criteria:

• Have relevant experience
• Meet the selection criteria for self-employed persons and
• Meet medical, security and other requirements

Relevant experience

Relevant experience is defined as:

• participation at a world-class level in cultural activities or athletics
• farm management experience or
• self-employment in cultural activities or athletics. Please consult the Related Links section at the bottom of this page for a list of activities that qualify. You will also find a link to definitions of terms that apply to self-employed persons.

Selection criteria

You will be assessed on selection criteria that include your experience, education, age, language abilities and adaptability. You can find out more about the selection criteria in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

Medical, security and other requirements

You and your family members must pass a medical examination and security and criminal checks. You can find more information on both of these topics in the I Need To… section on the right-hand side of this page.
You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada. You can find more information under Proof of funds in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.
You must also meet any other requirements of Canadian and provincial or territorial immigration regulations.

Quebec

Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, the province of Quebec operates its own business immigration program. If you want to settle in the province of Quebec, contact the nearest Quebec immigration office, or visit the website of the Quebec ministry that handles immigration. You will find more information in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

Self-employed persons:
How to apply

There are two application processes for self-employed persons who want to apply to become permanent residents:

• the simplified application process and
• the regular application process.

Most applicants must use the simplified process. However, you must use the regular process if:

• you have been selected by Quebec
• you have been lawfully admitted to Canada for a period of at least one year and you are submitting your application at the Canadian visa office in Buffalo or
• you have been lawfully admitted into the United States for a period of at least one year and you are submitting your application at the Canadian visa office in Buffalo.

If none of the situations described above applies to you, you must use the simplified application process.
Choose the application process that applies to you:

• regular application process
• simplified application process

Quebec has its own business immigration program. If you want to settle in the province of Quebec, contact the nearest Quebec immigration office, or visit the website of the Quebec ministry that handles immigration. Check the Related Links section at the bottom of this page

Self-employed persons: Who can apply—Selection criteria

In order to qualify, you must first meet the definition of a self-employed person. You can find the definition in the Related Links on the bottom of this page.
You will then be assessed against five selection criteria and a point system. You must obtain a minimum of 35 points if you want to immigrate to Canada as a self-employed person.
Learn more about each factor by clicking on it.

Selection Criteria	Maximum Points	Your Score
Education	25
Experience	35
Age	10
Ability in English and/or French	24
Adaptability	6
TOTAL	100

Your Score
The maximum possible score is 100. The pass mark is currently 35 points. However, the pass mark may change, so make sure you visit this site regularly if you are considering immigrating to Canada as a self-employed person.
Selection is based on the documents that you provide and an assessment of your score under each of the selection criteria. You must also meet the definition of a self-employed person.
An interview may be required. During the interview, a visa officer will ask you to explain any information that is unclear or inconsistent, or any shortcomings or gaps in the documents that you provide. If there is a difference between your assessment of your qualifications, and the visa officer’s assessment, the officer’s assessment will prevail.