Proof of Work Experience for Express Entry: Your Pathway to Canadian Immigration

Are you immigrating through express entry and trying to prove your work? Then this article will be very helpful to you.

Most people use the express entry system to move to Canada because it is the easiest way. However, you can apply through three methods: FWSC, CEC, and FSTC.

In this article, you will find everything you need to know about work experience for express entry.

Let’s dig into the details!

Requirements of Work Experience for Express Entry

Though it’s the easiest way, you need few requirements to prove your work experience.

The 5 main criteria to prove your work experience are:

• Full-time or equivalent work experience
• Work Experience in Canada
• Temporary Status
• Work experience timeline
• Job classifications

See the descriptions below.

Full-time or equivalent work experience

You can get two types of work experience for express entry – full-time and equivalent part-time jobs.

The immigration law sets the category for people who work less than or equal to 30 hours per week.

So, it would be best if you worked for equivalent hours to get good work experience. If you work for 15 hours per week, it will take 2 years for you to immigrate.

You can calculate the time through a very easy equation. For example, you work for 15 hours. So, you need to divide 30 by 15. Later, multiply the answer with 52 (1 year equals 52 weeks). This answer is the weeks that you need to qualify.

Work Experience in Canada

Every place requires work experience while applying for a work permit. So, you need to work inside Canada to show a vaild work experience.

However, if you have any experience outside Canada, the immigration law would not count them.

Additionally, as all jobs can’t get a work permit, you need to know whether IRCC accepts your work.

Temporary Status

There are few important categories you need to know about working in an express entry immigration system.

The first one is while you work, you need to be sure whether you have temporary status. Secondly, the position that you are working in needs to have verification from Canada.

Thirdly, you would not find any immigration restrictions that can stop you from working in Canada.

Read our article to learn about Canadian citizenship application status.

Work experience timeline

The CEC has a validity of working years after you apply for immigration. So, according to CEC, you can count your work experience for the last three years.

However, your work experience would not go in vain because you can calculate your previous work’s CRS score.

For example, if you apply in 2021, you can calculate CEC with work experience from 2018 and CRS score with 2011 work experience.

Job classifications

It is very important to know about National Occupational Classification (NOC) before applying for work permits in Canada.

There are three types of work experiences, which are:

• NOC O – Positions like managers
• NOC A – Positions that require a university degree
• NOC B – Positions with a post-secondary degree.

So, make sure you know which category you fall under while applying for work permits in Canada. Nevertheless, while you apply for a job, you need to have some basic knowledge about the position.

In many cases, you will see the job title and requirements not mentioned properly. In such cases, you will need to verify the information by yourself.

Work experience without a permit

In most cases, you need a work permit before you apply for a job in Canada. However, there are exceptional cases where you don’t need a work permit.

There are few categories under IRPR section 186, so you can apply if you are one of them. However, the list doesn’t halt here.

There are three other exceptions to work without a permit. Firstly, working in the same work field helps to enhance your skills. Secondly, you should have time limitations. Thirdly, the way you are getting your payments might be a foreign entity.

Nevertheless, a foreign national needs to follow some basic rules as every way of applying for visas is different, so you need to choose which is better for you.

While you decide to apply for express entry, make sure you have all the possible documents you would require and a valid reason to work in Canada. Readout the article to know express entry requirements in Canada.

Invalid Work Experience

Unlike the valid experiences, many jobs are invalid in Canada.

NOC C is a position where a person has a combination of job training with a high school diploma. On the other hand, NOC D is a labour job. You can’t fall under NOC C or NOC D to add your work experience in many cases.

Secondly, you can’t be self-employed, a refugee claimant, or work being a full-time student. Additionally, it is also important to have a valid temporary status or authorization of your work.

One common mistake for which people lose job authorization is because they belong to a specific NOC category, whereas they apply for another one.

Nevertheless, many people also work without a job permit, which eventually results in losing authorization.

Work experience for CRS score

Though some positions are invalid, their work experience can still help in CRS. However, there is a high chance that you can claim your work experience to have higher CRS points.

In the current Express entry system, you would not get another section to mention other work experiences.

On the other hand, if you apply through CEC, it is necessary to mention all of your work experience. Nevertheless, these would not add up for your work permits.

Report for Your Express Entry

It is very necessary to know how you can report for your express entry. Some important documents are job contracts, reference letters, or other work experience documents.

There are many options for work experience documents—for example, an earnings statement, business cards, etc.

You might have a problem skipping any of the documents. In such cases, you can easily get a statutory declaration explaining your situation. However, it is necessary to submit documents that will verify the statement.

Nevertheless, your immigration officer decides whether your letter is acceptable.

Express Entry Mistake in work experience proof

It is very important to show proof of work experience while we are applying for express entry immigration.

There are specific categories for different kinds of visas. However, the government of Canada decides the document you will require.

Therefore, if your documents are incorrect, the government can cancel your application, and there is no chance to reopen it again.

How to avoid the mistake?

It is very important to include all the possible documents to prove that you have good work experience. Eventually, your documents help IRCC to evaluate whether you deserve the express entry visa.

If you are applying for an express entry visa, it is very important to have a verification letter from IRCC.  In the verification letter, it is best if it has your skill type and work experience.

It is wise enough to provide any information that would help you get your visa. In Canada, one of the best documents you can provide is the notices of assessment.

Conclusion

To sum up, the first step to apply for express entry is by filling out the form. Based on the requirements, try to provide as many documents that you need.

If you think it is tough for you to complete the whole process, you can help lawyer firms. They will always work their best to help you succeed.

As a result, get started with your consultation session if you want to immigrate to Canada.