Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has invited 6000 potential immigrants to apply for permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class program (CEC) which since 2008 has offered a major pathway for candidates who have worked in Canada to transition to permanent residence. The CEC is among the three programs managed under Canada's Express Entry system.
The points needed to be invited this time were the second lowest in express entry history as applicants who achieved 357 points were invited. Following the lifting of Covid restrictions on the arrival of new permanent residents, Canada seems to continue lowering the minimum points needed to support its goal of welcoming 401,000 new immigrants this year. Thus, now is the best time to apply.
Yet there are still conditions which can not be skipped, since CEC candidates must have a minimum of one year of Canadian work experience in a skilled occupation, and at least an intermediate level of English or French.
It is to be noted that the most common way to be eligible to Canadian experience class is to complete an educational program at a Canadian institute which grants the graduate a post graduate work permit. Later on, graduates aim to accumulate 1560 working hours in Canada and obtain the minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) requirement.
Applicants usually apply from Canada and remain in the country throughout the application process. However, they can also apply from outside Canada, provided that they submit their application within three years of leaving a job in Canada.
