Minimum requirements
To be eligible, one must meet all the minimum requirements for:
- skilled work experience
- language ability and
- education
If you meet all the minimum requirements, you’ll then be assessed based on selection factors.
The selection factors include:
- Age
- Education
- Work experience
- Whether you have a valid job offer
- English or French language skills
- Adaptability
Based on how well you do in each of the 6 factors, you’ll be assigned an overall score out of 100.
The current pass mark is 67 points.
Skilled work experience
Skilled work experience means that you’ve worked in 1 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER categories.
The TEER categories are from 0 to 5 but for the purpose of express entry based on Federal Skilled Worker, you’ll have to focus just from 0 to 3.
TEER categories and examples of jobs
| TEER | Occupation types | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| TEER 0 | Management occupations | Advertising, marketing and public relations managers Financial managers |
| TEER 1 | Occupations that usually require a university degree | Financial advisors Software engineers |
| TEER 2 | Occupations that usually requirea college diplomaapprenticeship training of 2 or more years, orsupervisory occupations | Computer network and web technicians Medical laboratory technologists |
| TEER 3 | Occupations that usually requirea college diplomaapprenticeship training of less than 2 years, ormore than 6 months of on-the-job training | Bakers Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants |
| TEER 4 | Occupations that usually requirea high school diploma, orseveral weeks of on-the-job training | Home child care providers Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers |
| TEER 5 | Occupations that usually need short-term work demonstration and no formal education | Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers Delivery service drivers and door-to-door distributors |
You must show that while working in your primary occupation, you performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.
Full list of Canada National Occupational Classification
Your skilled work experience must
- be in the same type of job (have the same NOC) as the job you want to use for your immigration application (called your primary occupation)
- have been obtained within the last 10 years, in Canada or abroad
- be paid work (you must have been paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or unpaid internships don’t count)
- be at least 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total (30 hours per week)
- You can meet this in a few different ways:
- full time at 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
- equal amount in part-time work: for example 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
- You can work as many part-time jobs as you need to meet this requirement.
- full time at more than 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months at more than 1 job = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
- You can meet this in a few different ways:
Part-time work experience
Your skilled work experience must be paid work including paid wages or earned commission. Volunteer work or unpaid internships are not counted.
For part-time work, you can work more or less than 15 hours/week as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours. You can work more than 1 part-time job to get the hours you need to apply.
Any hours you work above 30 hours/week is not counted.
Student work experience
Work experience gained while you were studying may count towards your minimum requirements if the work:
- was paid by wages or commissions
- was continuous (no gaps in employment), and
- meets all the other requirements of the program
Language ability
You must take approved language tests in English or French such as
- English
- CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program
- You must take the CELPIP-General test.
- General-LS test is not accepted for Express Entry.
- IELTS: International English Language Testing System
- You must take the General Training option.
- Academic option is not accepted for Express Entry.
- One Skill Retake version of the IETLS General Training test is not accepted.
- CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program
- French
- TEF Canada : Test d’évaluation de français, including :
- compréhension de l’écrit
- compréhension de l’oral
- expression écrite
- expression orale
- TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du français, including:
- compréhension de l’écrit
- compréhension de l’oral
- expression écrite
- expression orale
- TEF Canada : Test d’évaluation de français, including :
- meet the minimum score required in all 4 abilities
- enter the test results in your Express Entry profile
Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result. They must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.
Education
If you went to school in Canada, you must have a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian
- secondary institution (high school) or
- post-secondary institution
If you have foreign education, you must have
- a completed educational credential and
- an Educational Credential Assessment for immigration purposes that
- is from a designated organization and
- shows your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian secondary institution (high school) or post-secondary institution
You’re free to use the comment section.
Good luck!