Work experience
On this page
- What counts as related work experience
- What to include with your application
- Work experience exemption if you studied and graduated in the community
What counts as related work experience
To apply for this pilot, you need at least 1 year (1,560 hours) of related work experience in the past 3 years.
There is a National Occupation Classification (NOC) code for every kind of job. Each job also belongs to a Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category.
Your work experience must:
- have been for a paid position
- Volunteer work and unpaid internships don’t count.
- not be from a self-employed job
- include the actions in the description of your NOC
- include most of the main duties
- be in a similar TEER as your job offer:
| Job offer TEER | Work experience TEER needed |
|---|---|
| 0 or 1 | 0, 1, 2 or 3 |
| 2 | 1, 2, 3 or 4 |
| 3 or 4 | 2, 3 or 4 |
| 5 | Same 5-digit NOC code |
Exception for healthcare workers
If your work experience is in NOC 31301 (Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses – TEER 1), you can have a job offer in one of the following occupation categories:
- NOC 33102 (TEER 3): Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates or
- NOC 44101 (TEER 4): Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations
What to include with your application
When you apply for permanent residence, include proof of your experience like:
- a copy of your most recent work permit in Canada, if you have one
- employer reference letters for the jobs that you are counting as part of your work experience, which include
- specific period of your employment (to/from dates)
- description of your main responsibilities and duties
- the corresponding NOC code (if known)
- your total annual salary and benefits
- the number of hours you worked per week
- your employer's name, signature, full address, telephone number and email address (if applicable)
- copies of your T4 tax information slips and your Notice of Assessment (if applicable)
- work contracts
- pay stubs
Work experience exemption if you studied and graduated in the community
You don’t need to meet the work experience requirement if you’re an international student who graduated from a public post-secondary school in the community with:
- an eligible credential in a program of 2 years or longer and you
- studied full-time for the entire program
- got your credential no more than 18 months before applying for permanent residence
- were in the community for at least 16 of the last 24 months while studying
- a master’s degree or higher that took 2 years or less and you
- studied full-time for your entire degree
- got your degree no more than 18 months before applying for permanent residence
- were in the community for the length of your studies
This exemption does not apply to international graduates if your credential is from a program where:
- studying English or French made up more than half of the program
- distance learning made up more than half of the program
- you received a scholarship or fellowship that requires you to return to your home country to use what you learned
What is an eligible credential?
An eligible credential means a degree, diploma, certificate, trade or apprenticeship credential from a publicly funded Canadian post-secondary institution in the recommending community.