Work Experience is Necessary for Canada Express Entry

Work experience is one of the key determinants of your Canada Express Entry score after your registration in the pool. You might have work experience in Canada, but it will contribute to your score only if it satisfies IRCC’s key requirement. IRCC only takes work experience into account if it can be classified as “skilled” according to the occupation classification system in Canada.

IRCC evaluates the work experience you list based on how much education is necessary to do the specified job. Canada relies on the 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) to analyze a job’s skill level. The education and experience needed for the work in your position are directly proportional to your occupational skill level.

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Role of NOC in evaluation
The primary objective of economic-class immigration programs is to fill job vacancies in Canada with international workers to support the labor market of the country. The NOC is used by the IRCC to assess if the work experience of a candidate is suitable for the mandate of the economic-class immigration program they are applying for.

On the other hand, IRCC focuses more on the skill level than the specific occupation when it comes to Express Entry candidates. Jobs under Skill Level 0, A, and B are “skilled” and hence considered for Express Entry. IRCC equates “full-time” to 30 hours per week.
If you are interested in any of the Canada Express Entry immigration programs, check the requirements and make sure that you have the required skill level and working hours.