In some cases, foreign nationals seeking permanent residence through Canada’s Express Entry system may be able to gain foreign and in-Canada work experience at the same time, giving them additional CRS points and increasing their chances of gaining PR.
Pursuing this method can allow some candidates to increase their Comprehensive Ranking System score by more than 60 points within a single year—an increase that can greatly improve a candidate’s chances at receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA)*.
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Example: Sanjay Reddy
Sanjay is a 28-year-old Indian foreign worker in Canada who is currently working on his Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) after graduating from a Canadian university. Sanjay is employed in Canada as a full-stack developer and works at a Canadian software company as a full-time, paid employee. His occupation is in a National Occupation Classification (NOC) training, education, experience, and responsibilities (TEER) level 1 occupation.
Sanjay has one year of Canadian work experience and qualifies for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program. He has no foreign work experience. Under the “Skills transferability” section of the CRS, Sanjay currently earns 38/100 points for his work experience.
Sanjay’s current Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) is 470.
Recently, Sanjay accepted a full-time paid employment offer for a tech company in India as a User Interface consultant. Sanjay plans to accept this offer—working for his Canadian employer during the day and for his Indian employer at night. His role for the Indian company is in NOC TEER level 1 as well.
Provided that he maintains Express Entry eligibility conditions while working at both jobs (while still in Canada with a valid PGWP), Sanjay is able to gain both foreign and Canadian work experience at the same time.
After a year of working for his Indian employer and Canadian employer at the same time, Sanjay will have gained one additional year of eligible Canadian work experience and one year of eligible foreign work experience.
After adding his eligible work experience to his Express Entry profile, Sanjay (now with a total of two years of Canadian work experience and one year of foreign work experience) will earn the full points allocation (100/100) for the skills transferability section of the CRS.
As a result, his CRS score will jump from 470 to 533 solely from the gained foreign and Canadian work experience.
This score meets the cut-off score for the most recent CEC draws and makes Sanjay far more likely to receive an ITA through Express Entry.
*Though Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed through correspondence with immigration representatives that remote work for a foreign employer in Canada may count for foreign work experience under the CRS (if it meets all other eligibility factors), these cases are assessed on a case-by-case basis with consideration to an applicants circumstances and attached documentation. Permanent residence (PR) applicants run the risk of having their work history refused by solely relying on this method to accrue work experience. Applicants should also ensure they provide all required details and documentation to convince an immigration officer that they meet work requirements.
How can I gain Canadian and foreign work experience at the same time?
Candidates working two jobs in Canada (one for a Canadian employer and one for a foreign employer) may claim both Canadian and foreign work experience only if they meet the conditions for both jobs to be recognized under Express Entry.
This scenario is facilitated by remote work experience for a foreign employer while candidates are in Canada and simultaneously gaining eligible Canadian work experience. Remote work in this scenario can count as foreign work experience if it meets all other eligibility criteria under Express Entry.
This means that to claim foreign and Canadian work experience at the same time, candidates must ensure that
- Their work experience meets the eligibility requirements of the stream that they are applying under;
- Their Canadian work experience meets the general requirements of Canadian work experience under Express Entry; and
- Their foreign work experience meets the general requirements for foreign work experience under Express Entry.
Note: If an Express Entry candidate has already maxed out the available points under the CRS for Canadian or foreign work experience, they do not necessarily have to double up on these factors—and may instead simply claim points for the work experience factor that they can still earn points for. This method may also decrease the risk of refusal of work experience due to the case-by-case nature under which remote work is assessed under the CRS.
Work experience requirements under Express Entry streams
Each program within the Express Entry system has different requirements for work experience.
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
To be eligible under the CEC, your work experience must meet the following requirements:
- Be in one or more of the following National Occupation Classification (NOC) training, education, experience, and responsibilities (TEER) levels: 0, 1, 2, or 3.
- Be gained by working in Canada as a full-time worker under a valid work permit.
- Be paid (wages or commission).
- Include at least one year of Canadian work experience within the three years preceding the date you submit your Express Entry profile.
Work experience gained while on a study permit and/or during co-op work terms is not eligible for CEC.
Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
To qualify under the FSTP, your work experience must meet the following requirements:
- Be in the same NOC and fall under one of the following occupational categories:
- Major Groups 72 (excluding Sub-Major Group 726), 73, 82, 83, 92, or 93 (excluding Sub-Major Group 932);
- Minor Group 6320; or
- Unit Group 62200.
- Be paid (wages or commission).
- Have been obtained with proper work authorization.
- Include at least two years of full-time work experience (or 3,120 hours total) in a skilled trade within the five years before applying.
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
To be eligible under the FSWP, your work experience must meet the following requirements:
- Be in one of the following NOC TEER levels: 0, 1, 2, or 3.
- Be in the same NOC as the job you are using as your primary occupation for your immigration application (this does not need to be your most recent job).
- Be paid (wages or commission).
- Consist of at least one year of continuous full-time work (or 1,560 hours total as the part-time equivalent).
- Have been obtained within the last 10 years in Canada or abroad.
For FWSP, work experience gained while a full-time student can count toward the minimum requirements but will not score any CRS points.
The NOC is Canada’s official system for organizing and describing all jobs in the Canadian labour market. It groups jobs based on the type of work performed and the level of training, education, experience, and responsibilities required.
As part of the NOC system, occupations are further categorized using the TEER system. This system reflects the skill level of an occupation:
- TEER 0 represents management-level jobs and is the highest skill level.
- TEER 1 to TEER 5 cover a range of occupations, with TEER 1 including jobs that usually require a university degree and TEER 5 including occupations with minimal training requirements.
The TEER level of your occupation is important when determining eligibility for immigration programs like Express Entry.
How is work experience counted under Express Entry?
When claiming both foreign and Canadian work experience at the same time, candidates may find utility in understanding how work experience under Express Entry is counted.
Due to the definitions of work experience used by IRCC, candidates may accrue fewer Express Entry-eligible work hours than they worked.
Full-time work for one year is defined as 30 hours per week of work for 12 months. This is the equivalent of 1,560 hours of work in a year.
Candidates can use part-time work to meet work requirements for some streams, even if the time frame of their work is longer than the actual claimed work experience under Express Entry. For example, working 15 hours per week for 24 months also adds up to 1,560 hours (one year’s worth of work experience).
Candidates should note that working more than 30 hours a week will not add to their work experience. For example, if a candidate worked 40 hours a week for one year, they will still only accrue the equivalent of 30 hours a week.
When claiming foreign and Canadian work experience at the same time, candidates will only be able to accrue a maximum of 30 hours per week for each job within a year. This can potentially yield up to two years of work experience (one Canadian, one foreign) in a single year. This is the maximum work experience that a candidate can claim for a single year.
Once a candidate has confirmed that their work experience meets the basic eligibility requirements, they must then ensure that their foreign work experience and Canadian work experience meet their respective definitions under Express Entry.
How does Express Entry define Canadian work?
Under Express Entry, Canadian work experience must be:
- Work experience gained while physically present in Canada and authorized to work under temporary status (work permit);
- Work performed for a Canadian employer; and
- Be paid work.
If candidates wish to claim remote Canadian work experience, they must ensure that they were physically present in Canada while working remotely for the Canadian employer.
Work experience completed remotely from outside Canada for a Canadian employer does not count as Canadian work experience under Express Entry.
How does Express Entry define foreign work experience?
Foreign work experience under Express Entry is more loosely defined. This work experience must be:
- Completed under proper work authorization in the country where the employer resides (including licensing if relevant);
- Paid; and
- Completed outside Canada.
The Express Entry system does not currently capture remote work—but IRCC has indicated that remotely working from within Canada for a foreign employer can count as foreign work experience, provided all other eligibility factors are met.
When claiming foreign work experience, attach documentation, including the employment agreement and the remote work arrangement.
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