What is the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Visa?

The Canadian Experience Class visa (CEC) is a type of visa that allows foreign nationals working as temporary workers in Canada to obtain permanent residence in Canada through the Canadian Experience Class program implemented by the Government of Canada.

If you have worked full-time for 1 year or part-time for 3 years in the last 3 years in Canada, you can apply for a Canadian Experience Class visa to obtain a permanent residence permit and a permanent work permit.

The Canadian Experience Class visa allows holders to reside permanently and work permanently in Canada without any provincial restrictions. After obtaining Canadian permanent residence with the Canadian Experience Class visa, you can apply for Canadian citizenship 3 years later.

A Canadian Experience Class permanent residence permit, obtained through the Canadian Experience Class program, provides holders with the same rights as Canadian citizens (access to medical services, access to public universities, etc.).

What is the Relationship Between the Canadian Experience Class Visa and the Express Entry Program?

The Canadian Express Entry Program is a program created by the Canadian Government to make it easier for qualified workers to choose Canada.

While the Canadian Experience Class visa is valid for people working in Canada, the Canadian Express Entry program is the type of program applied for to get a work and residence permit in Canada from outside Canada.

The Canada Express Entry program continues with the following subcategories.

• Canadian Skilled Worker Program : The Canadian Skilled Worker Program, which is part of the Canadian Express Entry Program, is a program that foreign nationals can apply to if they receive a job offer from an employer operating within Canada in the field they are qualified for. The Canadian Skilled Worker Program provides program members with permanent residence and a permanent work permit in Canada.
• Canadian Skilled Trades Program : The Canadian Government publishes a list of the job fields needed in the country every year, and foreign nationals who are currently working as temporary workers in one of these job fields in Canada upload their profiles to the skilled trades program and wait for the results of the draw. If accepted into the Canadian skilled trades program, permanent residence and work permits are obtained in Canada.
• Canadian Experience Class Program : The Canadian Experience Class Program is a program that allows temporary workers who have worked full-time for 1 year or part-time for 3 years in Canada in the last 3 years to obtain a Canadian permanent residence and work permit.
• Canadian Provincial Nominee Program

The Canadian Experience Class program and the Canadian Express Entry program are interconnected.

Who is Eligible for the Canadian Experience Class Program?

Foreign nationals who have worked as a temporary worker in a skilled job for 1 year full-time or 3 years part-time in Canada in the last 3 years are eligible to apply for the Canadian Experience Class program.

Individuals who have met the required work experience requirements without a Canadian work permit, individuals who have achieved the required work experience requirements while studying full-time in Canada, or individuals who have achieved the required work experience requirements in their own business cannot apply to the Canadian Experience Class program.

What are the Eligibility Criteria for the Canadian Experience Class Program?

Eligibility criteria for the Canadian Experience Class program are listed below.

• Being a foreign national who has worked as a temporary worker in a skilled job in Canada for 1 year full-time or 3 years part-time in the last 3 years,
• Intend to live in a province other than Quebec,
• To be able to document that the language proficiency required by the Canadian Government has been achieved.

What Are the Canadian Experience Class Requirements?

In order to apply for the Canadian Experience Class program, various eligibility criteria must be met. Whether or not the Canadian Experience Class program eligibility criteria are met is determined by a test conducted on the official Canadian Government website (canada.ca).

The Canadian CEC Program requirements are listed below.

• The citizenship to which one belongs,
• Age,
• Language proficiency,
• Family members,
• Education
• Work experience,
• Job offers received.

To be eligible to participate in the Canadian Experience Class program, applicants must meet the following criteria.

• Work experience and occupation : In order to apply for the Canadian Experience Class program, it is necessary to have worked in Canada for 1 year full-time or 3 years part-time as a temporary worker in a skilled job in the last 3 years. In order to apply for the Canadian Experience Class program, the applicant must be able to submit a National Occupational Classification (NOC) document and documentation showing experience in the occupation he/she has.
• Language Proficiency and Education : The Government of Canada requires foreign nationals who apply to the Canadian Experience Class Program to prove their proficiency in English or French. Applicants to the Canadian Experience Class Program must receive passing grades from language tests in writing, reading, listening and speaking, which are evaluated according to the Canadian Language Benchmark and are valid for at least 2 years and accepted by the Government of Canada.

Language proficiency tests accepted by the Government of Canada are as follows.

• CELPIP – General (English)
• IELTS – General (English)
• TEF (French)
• TCF (French)

To be eligible for a Canadian visa: After being accepted into the Canadian Experience Class program, a Canadian Experience Class visa must be obtained. In order to be eligible for a Canadian Experience Class visa, the person participating in the program must have a clean criminal record, be healthy enough to pass medical examinations, and not pose a potential danger to the Canadian State.

How to Apply for the Canadian Experience Class?

Applying for the Canadian experience class is done by following the steps listed below.

1. A work permit is obtained in Canada. Care must be taken to ensure that the Canadian work permit is in accordance with the Canadian experience class program.
2. With a Canadian work permit, the required work experience requirement for the Canadian Experience Class program is met by working as a temporary worker in a skilled job for 1 year full-time or 3 years part-time in 3 years.
3. In order to demonstrate eligibility for the Canadian experience program, language proficiency exams approved by the Canadian Government (IELTS, CELPIP, TEF, TCF) must be taken.
4. The necessary documents are completed to apply for the Canadian experience class program.
   • The required documents for the Canadian Experience Class program are as follows.
     • Passport or travel document,
     • Language proficiency test result,
     • Educational background,
     • If there is a job offer received, the job offer,
     • Clean criminal record,
     • Documentation proving that the person has a sufficient health status obtained through a medical examination,
     • Documentation showing that you have sufficient financial means to meet your vital needs after obtaining permanent residence in Canada.
5. A Canadian Express Entry profile is created by answering questions about personal information and work history on the IRCC web page, which is one of the official websites of the Canadian Government, and uploading the documents required for the Canadian Experience Class program to the system.
6. Documents showing the health qualification of the Canadian experience class applicant and a clean criminal record are provided.
7. If the Canadian experience class program application is successful, an acceptance letter is received and an application for Canadian permanent residence is made within 60 days, and the Canadian experience class program participation fee and the Canadian permanent residence permit fee are paid. The Canadian permanent residence application fee is CAN $500. The Canadian experience class program participation fee is CAN $825.
8. After obtaining a Canadian permanent residence permit, you can go to Canada by obtaining a Canadian experience class program visa or, if you are already in Canada, you can obtain a Canadian permanent residence card.

How to Apply for Permanent Residence After Your Canadian Experience Class Application is Accepted

Once the Canadian experience class program application is accepted, an application for Canadian permanent residence must be submitted.

Applying for permanent residence in Canada is done by following the steps listed below.

1. The profile used in the Canadian Experience Class program application is used to log in to the Canadian permanent residence application website via canada.ca.
2. To apply for Canadian permanent residence, fill out the Canadian permanent residence online application form.
3. The documents required to apply for a Canadian permanent residence permit are uploaded to the system.
   The documents required to apply for a Canadian permanent residence permit, except for special cases, are as follows.
   • Clean criminal record,
   • Documentation proving that the person has a sufficient health status obtained through a medical examination,
   • Documentation showing that you have sufficient financial means to meet your vital needs after obtaining permanent residence in Canada.
4. The Canadian permanent resident application fee is payable. The Canadian permanent resident application fee is CAN$500.
5. The Canadian permanent residence application is completed.
6. If the application for Canadian permanent residence is approved, the relevant authorities are contacted and other information that must be presented when obtaining the Canadian permanent residence card is presented to the authorities.
7. If your application for Canadian permanent residence is rejected, the same steps are repeated.