IRCC finally published how they will assess the application against the policy conditions. Although most information can be found in the guide and the published policy, a few points remained open or were open for interpretation. We received a few questions about the current employment and the 1-year full-time work experience.
Current employment
Principal applicants must be currently working in order to be eligible for this public policy.
Current employment
- must be in Canada
- can be in any occupation listed in the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
- must be authorized
- must be paid in wages or commission
- does not include self-employment, unless the applicant is working as a medical doctor in a fee-for-service arrangement with a health authority
The lock-in date to determine “currently employed” is the date the application is received by IRCC.
There are no requirements that the current employment is full-time or permanent and applicants do not need to remain employed throughout the processing of the application.
All principal applicants must reside in Canada with valid temporary resident status (or be eligible to restore their status) and be physically present in Canada when the application for permanent residence is received and when the application is approved. Foreign nationals who do not currently have temporary resident status in Canada, such as refugee claimants, are not eligible for this public policy.
1-year full-time work experience
The 1 year of work experience can be acquired through multiple periods of employment but must equal at least 1,560 hours in the 3 years before the application for permanent residence is received. Work experience must be acquired over a period of at least 1 year; work in excess of 30 hours per week over a shorter period cannot compensate for any shorter overall period of experience.
