Step 5 of 5
Prepare your permanent residence plan
This is where everything upstream gets counted: the hours you worked, the level you can prove, the language result you booked in time. Most of what decides the outcome here was fixed months earlier — which is why the order of the first four steps matters.
The 1,560 hours
One year of skilled Canadian experience, in the three years before you apply
Canadian Experience Class requires 1,560 hours — one year at 30 hours a week — of TEER 0–3 work in Canada, accumulated within the three years before you apply. Part-time counts. It does not need to be continuous, or with one employer.
Source: Canadian Experience Class — canada.ca · checked
Hours above 30 a week are not counted. Working 40 hours a week does not get you there in 39 weeks — it still takes 52. And these do not count at all: self-employment, unpaid or volunteer work, and any hours worked while you were a full-time student, including co-op.
Language, again
| Your work was | Minimum, all four abilities |
|---|---|
| TEER 0 or 1 | CLB / NCLC 7 |
| TEER 2 or 3 | CLB / NCLC 5 |
These are eligibility minimums, not competitive scores. Your CRS points keep rising well above them.
Your CRS score
Once you are in the Express Entry pool, a score decides whether you are invited. The pieces you can still move after graduating are usually language, a second official language, and another year of Canadian work.
- Provincial nomination: 600 points. Effectively decisive if you can get one.
- French: 25 or 50 points. NCLC 7 on all four French abilities earns 25; with CLB 5 or higher on all four English abilities it earns 50.
- Canadian post-secondary education: 15 or 30 points for a one-to-two-year credential or a three-year-plus credential.
- A sibling in Canada who is a citizen or permanent resident, 18 or older: 15 points.
Job-offer points no longer exist. Since March 25, 2025 a valid job offer earns zero CRS points. Anyone telling you an LMIA will add 50 or 200 points to your score is working from a grid that was withdrawn. The calculator has no job-offer line →
Category-based draws
12 months of experience in the category occupation, since February 18, 2026
Some rounds of invitations target specific categories — healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, education, transport, and physician, senior-manager and researcher categories requiring Canadian experience. To qualify for an occupation category you now need at least 12 months of full-time experience (or the part-time equivalent) in a single eligible occupation, within the past three years. It does not need to be continuous. The requirement was six months before February 18, 2026. French-language selection instead requires NCLC 7 in all four abilities, and the military category has its own conditions. Confirm the current list and your NOC on the source page.
Source: Category-based selection — canada.ca · checked
Settlement funds
Express Entry normally requires proof of settlement funds — $15,263 for a single applicant under the table in force since July 7, 2025.
Canadian Experience Class applicants are exempt. If you are applying under CEC you do not need to show settlement funds at all. Applicants who are authorised to work in Canada and hold a valid job offer are also exempt under the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programmes. Check your family size →
The clocks that refuse applications
These expire quietly, and an otherwise strong application fails on them.
| Document | Valid for |
|---|---|
| Language test result | 2 years |
| Educational Credential Assessment | 5 years |
| Express Entry profile in the pool | 12 months |
| Invitation to Apply → submit | 60 days |
| Immigration medical exam | 12 months |
The common failure: a language test that was valid when you entered the pool but expires between your invitation and your submission. Your test must be valid on the day you submit. If it will be older than about 18 months when you enter the pool, retake it first. Put every date in one timeline →
Before you file
- Reference letters that state duties, not just dates and titles.
- Pay stubs and T4s matching every period you claim.
- An ECA if you are claiming foreign education, obtained well in advance.
- Police certificates and a valid passport with real time left on it.