Work Experience

There is a work experience requirement for all 3 Express Entry programs, and provided the minimum requirements have been met, the number of additional points which can be gained in the Express Entry pool depends on the number of years of work experience, whether the experience was gained in Canada or outside of Canada, and whether the applicant is applying with or without a spouse/partner. There are also extra points to be gained in 'skill transferability' categories which combine work experience with other areas such as level of education and language proficiency.

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For the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program, work experience gained both in Canada and abroad is valid, however extra points are awarded for as little as one year's work experience within Canada. The Canadian Experience Class Program requires applicants to have a minimum of 1 year's work experience within Canada.

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The following table shows the number of points which can be gained from Canadian work experience.

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Further 'skill transferability' points can be gained from a combination of Canadian work experience and level of education. Education of post-secondary level or higher can be combined with Canadian work experience to add up to 50 extra points. The table below shows a breakdown of these points.

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Up to 50 additional points can be gained by combining foreign work experience with language proficiency in either English or French. To be awarded these points, candidates must have at least 1 year of foreign work experience and a minimum of CLB 7 across all language disciplines (speaking, listening, reading, writing). Click here to find out more about language tests and levels. More points are awarded for 3 or more years of work experience and for achieving CLB 9 across all 4 language disciplines. The table below shows a breakdown of these points.

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The final 'skill transferability' category in which it is possible to gain additional points for work experience is by a combination of Canadian work experience and foreign work experience. Points are awarded for having a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 3 years experience. The table below shows a breakdown of these points.

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It is important to note here that a maximum of 100 points can be gained in the skill transferability category, despite there being 150 points available.

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