When applying for Canadian permanent residence through the Express Entry program, you likely know that you will be required to submit work experience that would showcase the benefits you would bring to the Canadian economy and your local community. But how is this work experience verified? Here, our Ottawa and Orleans immigration doctors explain.
The Express Entry immigration program is the most popular way for people to apply for permanent residence in Canada. Applications through this system are done online through the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website. Express Entry contains 3 'streams' or application processes, but all of them are designed to encourage applications and success in immigrating to Canada from individuals who have relevant work experience in growing sectors in the Canadian economy.
Proof of Work Experience For Each Express Entry Stream
Because this application process hinges on your work experience, the Candian governemnt will request proof of any experienc you claim so they can assess how well it fulfills the standards set out for each of the program's 3 streams. The way that this proof - and your work experience - will be verified will depend on the specific stream you are applying through and the kind of proff you are asked to produce.
The following are the 3 streams of the Express Entry immigration system, what level of work experience they require of an applicant and what proof of employment or work experience each of them require:
Federal Skilled Worker Program
In order to be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, an applicant is required to have a year's worth of work experience (1,560 hours) in professional, managerial, or trades and technical professions. These roles and the duties that are considered to be involved in them by Canadian Immigration are defined as categories 0, A and B in Canada's National Occupation Classification System (NOC).
The main way to support your claims of work experience in any of these areas for the purposes of your application is through a detailed Employment Reference Letter provided by any employers you are claiming to have worked for.
Federal Skilled Trades Program
In order to be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, an applicant is required to have spent at least 2 of their last 5 years of work in a skilled trade. A skilled trade is defined by the National Occupation Classification System as anything belonging to Major Groups 72, 73, 82 and 92 as well as Minor Groups 632 and 633.
Like the FSW Program, you are generally expected to support work experience that you claim towards the Federal Skilled Trades Program with a detailed Employment Reference Letter that any employers you are claiminging that you worked for will fill out on your behalf.
Canadian Experience Class
To be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class, you have to have at least 12 months of continuous and legal work experience in Canada in managerial, professional, or technical and trades professions. Like in the Federal Skilled Workers Program, these jobs shuld fall underr categories 0, A and B as defined by Canada's National Occupation Classification System (NOC).
Since this program requires Canadian work experience, you will have some extra documentation available to provide as part of your application on top of an Employment Reference Letter. You will have filed taxes for your work in Canada, and should have the documentation proving that you did indeed work where you claimed.
While a Canadian Immigration Officer will still need to confirm that you did indeed fulfill the duties as part of your job that you claim to have done, this extra doucmentation is valuable to proving that you did work where you say you did.
Proof of Work Experience When Self-Employed
If you have extensive work experience that would qualify you for either the FSW or FST programs, but you were self-employed when you acquired that experience an Employment Reference Letter won't get you very far in your application process (since you would have to be the one who writes it!).
Because of this, the information you will need to provide for verification include:
- Any evidence that you owned your business (this may include articles of incorporation)
- Proof that you earned income as a self-employed person (such as tax forms)
- Reports from third parties (such as clients) of the services you provided them (including details of the payment you recieved)
How Is Your Work Experience Verified?
Once you have provided IRCC with all of the required documentation to prove that you worked where you say you did performing the tasks you claim you did, they will begin the verification process. This involves comparing the phone number, emails and addresses you provided for your employers with official records for what busines sthey are listed to.
This will also include comparing the duties listed in any letters you have presented with the NOC class of job that you are claiming you have experience in.
Finally, they will follow up no any other documentation you have provided to verify their accuracy.
