Canada Immigration Visas

Canada has taken a further step towards attracting and retaining foreign workers by introducing a scheme designed to facilitate the transition from temporary to permanent residents for certain temporary foreign workers and foreign students.

The Canadian Experience Class opens up a new path for professionals and students graduates from abroad with qualifications in managerial, technical or trade work who hope to become permanent residents of Canada; keeping the Canadian migration policy in line with other popular migration destinations such as Australia.

Selection will be based on a pass / fail system, and applicants will be allowed to remain and continue employment in Canada whilst their application is being processed. All applicants will require a moderate command of either English or French.

Immigration Minister Diane Finley commented: “The Canadian Experience Class is one more measure this government is proposing to make our immigration system more attractive and accessible to individuals with diverse skills from around the world, and more responsive to Canada’s labour market needs.”

The Canada Gazette explains: “The proposed Regulations create two distinct streams with different thresholds for each selection criterion, one for recent foreign graduates, and the other for temporary foreign workers. Foreign graduates will need to obtain 12 months of legal work experience within a 24-month period prior to making a CEC application, obtain a Canadian credential by studying in Canada full-time for at least two academic years, and meet the language benchmark for their occupation skill level. Temporary foreign workers will need to obtain 24 months of legal work experience in Canada within a 36-month period prior to making a CEC application and meet the language benchmark for their occupation skill level.”