Work experience is only deemed “skilled” for Express Entry purposes if it is classified as such in Canada’s occupational classification system.

When Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) evaluates your work experience, it considers how much schooling you’ll need to execute the job. In general, the higher your occupational skill level is, the more education and experience it needs to work in your profession. The 2016 National Occupational Classification is now used in Canada to assess a job’s skill level (NOC).

The NOC is typically used by IRCC to assess how a given immigration candidate’s work experience would serve the mandate of the immigration program for which they are applying.

Economic-class immigration programs help Canada’s long-term economy by filling employment shortages with foreign talent.

The precise employment does not matter as much as the ability level when it comes to Express Entry. IRCC will match your job duties to the NOC description to identify your occupation and whether or not it is skilled while evaluating your application. On the Canadian government’s website, there are five NOC competence levels:

• Management positions, such as restaurant managers, mine managers, and shore captains, are Skill Type 0 (zero) (fishing).

• Professional vocations that often require a university degree, such as doctors, dentists, and architects, are classified as Skill Level A.

• Chefs, plumbers, and electricians are examples of technical vocations and skilled trades that typically require a college diploma or apprenticeship training.

• Intermediate jobs, such as industrial butchers, long-haul truck drivers, and food and beverage servers, normally require a high school diploma and/or job-specific training.

• Fruit pickers, cleaning staff, and oil field employees are examples of skill level D employment that provide on-the-job training.

Only jobs that fall within skill types 0, A, and B are deemed “skilled” for the purposes of Express Entry. To be qualified for one of the three Express Entry-managed immigration programs, you must have relevant job experience.

Depending on the program you’re applying for, you’ll require different amounts of job experience.

“Full-time” is defined by the IRCC as 30 hours per week. This amounts to 1,560 hours over the course of a year. You can complete this requirement in a variety of ways, including working full-time for a year or part-time. You can work more or less than 15 hours per week as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours for a part-time job. Any hours done in excess of 30 per week are not counted by IRCC. As a result, you won’t be able to work longer hours any faster.

In addition, for the purposes of an Express Entry-managed program, all work experience must be paid. Unpaid internships and volunteer work do not count.

Work Experience related Eligibility Criteria for the FSWP

Work experience, language competence, and education requirements must all be met to be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).

Within the last ten years, you must have had at least one year of skilled work experience. Your previous job experience, which you utilize to qualify for the program, must match your major occupation in your immigration application.

After you’ve met the program’s basic eligibility standards, IRCC evaluates your application using a points system. To pass, you must get a score of at least 67 out of 100. Work experience accounts for at least 15 of these points.

You must have worked full-time in a skilled occupation for at least one year to receive points for your work experience. It must sum up to 1,560 hours in total. Part-time work counts if it adds up to the required amount of hours in the ten years leading up to your application.

It doesn’t matter if you worked in Canada or overseas, if it was while you were studying or if you were self-employed outside of Canada. In Canada, self-employment does not count.

You must have at least six years of qualified job experience to receive the full 15 points. You will receive nine points if you have only one year of job experience. 2-3 years is worth 11 points, whereas 4-5 years is worth 13 points.

If you have at least one year of full-time, competent job experience in Canada, you can earn an extra ten points for “adaptability.”

Work Experience related Eligibility Criteria for the CEC

People with work experience in Canada are eligible for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

To meet the work experience requirement, you must have worked full-time in a skilled occupation in Canada for at least one year. This work experience can be completed at any time during the three years leading up to your CEC application for permanent residency. Work that you did as a self-employed person or while studying in Canada does not count.

You must also demonstrate a minimal level of language proficiency, among other requirements, to be eligible for the CEC.

Work Experience related Eligibility Criteria for the FSTP

Skilled trades personnel are eligible for the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

Within the last five years, you must have worked full-time in a skilled trade for at least two years. A similar quantity of part-time paid work experience is also acceptable.

Except for the requirement for a certificate of qualification, you must also meet the job requirements for the skilled trade on your application as outlined in the NOC. You must also have a valid full-time job offer from a Canadian provincial, territorial, or federal body, or a certificate of qualification in your skilled trade from a Canadian provincial, territorial, or federal authority.

Candidates for the FSTP must also meet certain requirements, including a minimum level of language proficiency.

The transformation of NOC to TEER by the upcoming year

Every ten years, Canada’s occupational categorization system is updated. The next major change is expected to occur in late 2022 when the NOC categories will be replaced by the TEER categories (Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities). A list of the new NOC codes that will be in force next year can be found on the Canadian government’s website.

Instead of five skill levels, the new system will have six, and instead of being alphabetical, they will be numerical. As a result, instead of skill levels 0, A, B, C, and D, skill levels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 will be used.

In addition, instead of four digits, each occupation code will now have five, with the majority of changes being made to the name rather than the description.

The new classification system will have 516 occupations, up from 500 in the current edition. To represent expanding industries such as data science, cyber security, and others, new jobs have been established.

Employment and Social Development Canada and Statistics Canada are in charge of the NOC. The new system will be the NOC’s most significant update since 2011.