The Canadian Experience Class is an Express Entry program built around skilled work already done inside Canada. It does not require a job offer or a set amount of settlement money.
This guide sets out what counts as qualifying work, the language level needed, and the other conditions that apply. It also covers one requirement most other Express Entry programs share that the Canadian Experience Class does not.
The Canadian Experience Class is often the route considered by someone who has already worked in Canada under a study permit or a temporary work permit. It draws directly on that experience, rather than asking for a fresh job offer from outside the country.
How much work experience does the Canadian Experience Class need?
The Canadian Experience Class requires at least one year of skilled work, or 1,560 hours in total at 30 hours a week. That work has to be completed within the three years before applying. It also has to be in an occupation classified under TEER (Training, Education, Experience and Responsibility) category 0, 1, 2 or 3.
That work has to be gained inside Canada, while the applicant was authorized to work under temporary resident status. Work done outside Canada, even in the same occupation, does not count toward this requirement.
Which TEER category an occupation falls into matters twice for the Canadian Experience Class. It matters for whether the work qualifies at all, and for which language level applies to it.
Work that does not count toward the 1,560 hours
Self-employment does not count toward the Canadian Experience Class work requirement, and neither does work completed while the applicant was a full-time student. Volunteer work and unpaid internships also do not count.
This matters most for someone who worked part-time while studying in Canada. Hours worked during a period of full-time study are not counted toward the 1,560 hours, even if the work itself was otherwise in a qualifying occupation. For how a study permit can lead toward permanent residence more broadly, see the guide to moving from a study permit to permanent residence.
A common pattern is a graduate who worked part-time throughout their studies and then full-time afterward, once their studies ended. Only the hours worked after finishing full-time study, under valid work authorization, are counted toward the Canadian Experience Class total.
What CLB level does the Canadian Experience Class need?
The language level required depends on the TEER category of the qualifying work. It has to be met in all four abilities: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Work in TEER 0 or 1 needs Canadian Language Benchmark, or CLB, 7; work in TEER 2 or 3 needs CLB 5.
Test results have to be less than two years old. That applies both when the Express Entry profile is completed and again when the permanent residence application is submitted. A test taken earlier than that no longer meets the requirement. Comparing scores across the different tests IRCC accepts can be done with the CLB converter.
Because the requirement is checked at two separate points, a test taken early in the process can expire before the application stage is reached. This is one reason the timing of a language test is worth planning around, alongside the work experience itself.
Education and where you plan to live
There is no education requirement for the Canadian Experience Class. Unlike some other immigration programs, no minimum level of schooling has to be shown as part of this program's requirements.
Applicants do have to plan to live outside the province of Quebec, which runs its own selection programs for economic immigration.
Between these two conditions, the Canadian Experience Class is built almost entirely around demonstrated Canadian work experience. It does not rest on formal credentials or a points-based education test of the kind used in some other programs.
Proof of funds under the Canadian Experience Class
Applicants under the Canadian Experience Class do not need to show proof of settlement funds. This sets it apart from the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. Both of those normally require showing a minimum amount of money.
The other financial and document requirements that apply across Express Entry are covered in the guide to Express Entry proof of funds. That includes how proof of funds works for programs that do need it. A CRS score, which affects whether an eligible profile receives an invitation, can be estimated with the CRS calculator.
Eligibility for the Canadian Experience Class rests on work, language and residency conditions, rather than money in the bank. So someone assessing their own eligibility usually starts by lining up their work history and language test results against these requirements. This comes before any funds calculation.
The short version
- The Canadian Experience Class requires at least one year, or 1,560 hours, of skilled Canadian work in TEER 0-3 within the last three years.
- Self-employment, work done while a full-time student, volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count toward that total.
- The language requirement is CLB 7 for TEER 0-1 work and CLB 5 for TEER 2-3 work, in all four abilities. Test results must be under two years old.
- There is no education requirement, but applicants must plan to live outside Quebec.
- Proof of settlement funds is not required under the Canadian Experience Class.
Every figure on this page is cited to the government source it was read from, and was checked on September 19, 2026. Rules change, and a source is the authority where this page and the source disagree. This guide is general information about how the process works, not immigration advice about your own situation, and reading it creates no consultant-client relationship.