Canadian Experience Class: ZIMMR Immigration

What this program is

The Canadian Experience Class is for people who have already worked in Canada in a skilled occupation, most often after studying here on a study permit and then working on a Post-Graduation Work Permit. It is the most common route from temporary status in Canada to permanent residence.

Its defining feature is that the qualifying experience must be Canadian and must have been gained with authorisation. Work done without the right permit does not count, and in fact creates a separate and more serious problem than simply not counting.

Like the other Express Entry programs, eligibility gets you into the pool and the Comprehensive Ranking System decides where you rank in it. Unlike the Federal Skilled Worker route, CEC generally does not require proof of settlement funds.

At a glance
Managed through	Express Entry
Canadian work experience	Required, and must have been authorised
Settlement funds	Generally not required
Ranked in the pool by	Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)
Common route in	Study permit, then Post-Graduation Work Permit

What you'll generally need

Evidence of qualifying Canadian skilled work experience: reference letters with duties, hours and dates, plus pay records.
Proof the work was authorised — the permit under which each period of work was performed.
Language test results from an IRCC-approved provider, valid when used.
Passport, police certificates, and an immigration medical exam.
An Educational Credential Assessment is not always required here, but education still earns points and often needs assessing for that reason.

What an application on this route usually involves. Not a checklist that guarantees anything — IRCC sets the requirements, and they change.

Who this program fits

Graduates of Canadian programs who have since worked here in a skilled occupation.
Skilled workers already in Canada on an employer-specific or open work permit.
Not a fit for someone with no Canadian work experience — the Federal Skilled Worker route is the equivalent for experience gained abroad.

Whether it fits you is what a consultation is for. This page cannot answer that and does not try to.

Comprehensive Ranking System points

Once you are in the Express Entry pool, the CRS decides where you rank. These are IRCC's published maximums, out of a total of 1,200.

Changed in 2025: Arranged employment no longer earns CRS points. IRCC removed job offer points on 25 March 2025 — previously 200 for senior management roles and 50 for other skilled occupations. Older guides and third-party calculators still show them.

Maximum points by section
Section	With a spouse	Without a spouse
A. Core / human capital factors	460	500
B. Spouse or common-law partner factors	40	n/a
C. Skill transferability factors	100	100
D. Additional points	600	600
Maximum total	1,200	1,200

Core / human capital factors
Factor	With a spouse	Without a spouse
Age	100	110
Level of education	140	150
First official language	128	136
Second official language	22	24
Canadian work experience	70	80

Additional points
Factor	Maximum points
Provincial or territorial nomination	600
French language skills	50
Post-secondary education in Canada	30
Brother or sister living in Canada (18+, citizen or permanent resident)	15

Full age table

Age	With a spouse	Without a spouse
17 or younger	0	0
18	90	99
19	95	105
20 to 29	100	110
30	95	105
31	90	99
32	85	94
33	80	88
34	75	83
35	70	77
36	65	72
37	60	66
38	55	61
39	50	55
40	45	50
41	35	39
42	25	28
43	15	17

These are IRCC's published maximums, reproduced for reference. A score is not an eligibility decision and does not predict an invitation: IRCC sets the cut-off for each round after the fact, and it moves. ZIMMR does not publish target scores.

Reproduced from IRCC's published criteria, verified 14 August 2026. See the official page

Try the free FSW points estimator

Common mistakes

Counting work done outside permit conditions

Hours worked beyond what a study permit allowed, or with an employer not named on an employer-specific permit, do not count and raise a separate problem.

Gaps between permits

Any period working while a permit had lapsed is both uncountable and a status issue. The dates on the permits and the dates on the reference letters are compared.

Assuming the PGWP is extendable

A Post-Graduation Work Permit is generally issued once and not renewed. Planning as though more time will be available is a common and costly assumption.

Thin payroll evidence

Reference letters are stronger when supported by pay statements and tax documents that corroborate the hours claimed.

Questions

Does part-time work count?

Experience is measured in hours as well as months, and there are defined ways part-time work can be combined. What does not work is assuming an equivalence without checking how the hours are actually counted.

Does self-employment in Canada count?

Self-employed experience is generally excluded from the Canadian Experience Class. This surprises people who have built a genuine business here, and it is worth confirming early rather than late.

Do I need settlement funds?

Generally not for this program, which is one of the practical differences from the Federal Skilled Worker route.

What if I worked without authorisation for part of the time?

That period will not count, and the issue is wider than the points: unauthorised work is a status breach that affects applications generally. It should be raised in a consultation rather than left out of a form.

Canadian Experience Class