Abrupt Changes to the Canadian Experience Class Announced
On November 8, 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced changes to the Canadian Experience Class. Effective the next day, Citizenship and Immigration Canada imposed an annual cap on the number of applications accepted under the Canadian Experience Class. Between November 9, 2013 and October 31, 2014, the annual cap is set at 12,000 with sub-caps of 200 for those occupations classified as skill level “B” on the National Occupational Classification Matrix (mainly technical, administrative or skilled trades). Furthermore, there are six occupations that will no longer qualify under the Canadian Experience Class. These occupations are:
- (1) cooks;
- (2) food service supervisors;
- (3) administrative officers;
- (4) administrative assistants;
- (5) accounting technicians and bookkeepers; and
- (6) retail sales supervisors.
The changes to the Canadian Experience Class were abrupt and unannounced and shocked many in the immigration legal community. The news will also likely comes as a shock and major disappointment for those foreign nationals in the six occupations that no longer qualify for the program and/or for those foreign nationals currently working towards their one year of work experience in Canada, the main requirement for applying under the program. If you were planning on applying under this program and are no longer sure whether you qualify or you want to learn about what other immigration options are available to you, please contact us to set up an initial consultation.
For the government’s new release regarding the changes to the Canadian Experience Class, please click on the following link: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2013/2013-11-08.asp
