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- Ryan (Ryan.Rosenberg@larlee.com) is a Vancouver based immigration lawyer who advises clients on all Canadian immigration issues. He has significant experience customizing immigration strategies for clients worldwide. He frequently represents clients before the Federal Court of Canada and the Immigration Appeals Division. Ryan also assists Canadian companies overcome labour market shortages through overseas recruiting and utilizing the BC PNP program, the HRSDC foreign worker program and various... (read more)
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Canada Immigration - Tips and Trends
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- Name:
- Canada Immigration - Tips and Trends
- Category:
- Common Interest - Current Events
- Description:
- Ryan (Ryan.Rosenberg@larlee.com) is a Vancouver based immigration lawyer who advises clients on all Canadian immigration issues. He has significant experience customizing immigration strategies for clients worldwide. He frequently represents clients before the Federal Court of Canada and the Immigration Appeals Division. Ryan also assists Canadian companies overcome labour market shortages through overseas recruiting and utilizing the BC PNP program, the HRSDC foreign worker program and various... (read more)
- Privacy Type:
- Open: All content is public.
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- http://www.larlee.com
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- Ryan Rosenberg, Canadian Immigration Lawyer
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- 600-555 West Georgia Street
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- ARE YOU EXPERIENCED: CANADIAN EXPERIENCE CLASS
Dek: The Canadian experience class is now open for applicants
On September 17, 2008, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) finally opened the door to permanent resident applications under the much anticipated Canadian experience class. Application forms, instructional manuals and more information can be found on the CIC website, but here’s a quick overview of who can apply and how.
Who can apply?
The Canadian experience class, designed to facilitate immigration applications for foreign nationals who have experience in Canada, is divided into two separate streams. The first is the temporary foreign workers stream and the second is the post-graduation stream.
Temporary foreign workers
To qualify under the foreign workers stream, you must have completed at least 24 months of legal work experience in Canada within the 36-month period prior to application.
But it’s not just for any type of work; the work must have been done at the national occupation classification skill levels of O, A or B. These three levels represent employment in management occupations (O), occupations that usually require university education (B), and occupations that usually require a college education or apprenticeship training (C).
Graduates with experience
To qualify under the post-graduation stream, you must have successfully completed at least two years of legal full-time study in Canada at a publicly funded institution, an institution authorized to grant degrees under statute, a training institute or a provincially accredited private college.
You must have obtained a bachelor’s degree, diploma, apprenticeship or post-graduate degree. In addition to having completed studies in Canada, you must have completed at least 12 months of legal full-time employment within a 24-month period. Like in the case of the temporary workers, the work must have been at national occupation classification skill levels O, A or B.
What else you need
Applicants under both streams also must have a language testing score suitable to their national occupation classification skill level. For example, applicants who claim work experience at the O or A skill levels must achieve a total International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 28, with no more than one individual area score of six. Applicants at the B skill level must achieve an overall IELTS score of 20, with no more than one individual area score of four.
IELTS tests skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Under limited circumstances, applicants may be exempt from taking a language test if English or French is their first language.
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Pass or fail
The Canadian experience class is designed for easy and quick evaluation by immigration officers as compared to other applications streams. The criteria are clearly defined and assessments are rated on a pass or fail to score.
Unlike the federal skilled workers program, there are no units of assessment or points, and there is no room for discretion. But, like all other immigration applications, an applicant must not be found inadmissible to Canada on grounds such as health, security or contravention of Canada’s immigration laws.
Also note that you must qualify at the time of application — you cannot complete your studies or your work experience while the application is in process
Time to apply
There is no obligation to remain in Canada at the time of application. If outside the country, you may file the application at the visa office that serves your area. From within Canada, you can submit your application to the Canadian Consulate General in Buffalo, New York.
Despite the apparent simplicity of this new class of applications, the devil is in the details. There are a number of situations where your work experience or studies will not qualify under the program, so a careful review of the regulations and a thorough assessment of your credentials must be completed before submitting an application.
And, because it’s a new type of application, you can expect immigration officers around the world to struggle through somewhat of a training period before we see the true benefits of this new class.
<photo bio> Ryan N. Rosenberg, BA, LLB, is an immigration lawyer with Larlee & Associates Law Corporation. Contact ryan.rosenberg@larlee.com or phone 604-681-9887.