Canadian Experience
If you are a Temporary Foreign Worker or a foreign graduate working in Canada, you may apply for permanent residence. You should have knowledge of English or French and qualifying work experience. If you are currently in Vancouver, feel free to contact our office for a personal assessment.
Note: Foreign nationals such as refugee claimants in Canada and workers without status (undocumented) are not eligible to apply under this category.
All applicants must have:
- temporary resident status during their qualifying period of work experience and any period of full-time study or training in Canada,
- work experience in occupations that meet the minimum requirements for workers with Skill Type 0, or Skill Level A or B of the National Occupation Classification (NOC),
- must have the qualifying work and study experience needed at the time the application is made,
- knowledge of English or French (speaking, reading, listening and writing); language test results must not be older than one year at the time of application.
- not engaged in work or attended school without authorization,
- not remained in Canada after the time authorized to do so has expired,
- not been found inadmissible to Canada on grounds such as health or security.
Applicants must also have:
Temporary Foreign Workers:
- 12 months of work Experience within the last 36 months. Any periods of self-employment or unauthorized work cannot be included when calculating the period of work experience. You must have temporary resident status during the period of work experience.
Graduates:
- 12 months of qualifying work Experience within the last 36 months. The experience must be acquired after you have completed the required study and obtained a Canadian credential (work performed under the Off-Campus Work Permit Program or co-op work terms do not count).
- graduated from a recognized post-secondary educational institution and obtained the necessary Canadian educational credential.
You must have studied in a program of study or training with a full-time duration of at least 16 months (i.e. two academic years of at least 8 months excluding scheduled breaks, such as summer holidays, in the calculation). The definition of full-time studies is left to individual post-secondary institutions. Full-time studies could also include any period of training in the workplace that forms part of the course of study.
You must have completed this program by studying full-time in Canada for at least 16 months and obtained:
- A diploma, degree, trade or apprenticeship credential from a public, provincially recognized Canadian university, community college, CEGEP, or trade/technical school, or
- A diploma or trade or apprenticeship credential from a private Quebec post-secondary institution that operates under the same rules and regulations as public institutions, and receives at least 50 percent of its financing for its overall operations from government grants, subsidies or other assistance — at this time only private CEGEPs qualify, or
- A degree from a Canadian private provincially recognized post-secondary institution.
