Did you know there’s a way to maximize your CRS score with dual work experience? Well, if you’re navigating Canada’s Express Entry system and aiming for permanent residency, this lesser-known method could give your profile a serious edge.
By carefully meeting the eligibility criteria, some applicants can gain over 60 additional CRS points in just one year — a potential game-changer for receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
How Can Someone Earn CRS Points For Two Jobs At Once?
If you’re working two jobs — one in Canada and one remotely for a company abroad — you might be able to count both experiences under Express Entry, provided they meet the program requirements.
For this to work, both jobs must qualify as legitimate work experience under the Express Entry criteria. The key is working remotely for a foreign employer while being physically present in Canada and simultaneously gaining Canadian work experience in a separate role.
Here’s what needs to be true:
- Your Canadian job must meet the work experience standards for Canadian experience under Express Entry.
- Your foreign job must follow the guidelines for foreign work experience.
- Both roles should be paid and performed with proper authorization.
Eligibility Rules For Express Entry Work Experience
In order to maximize your CRS score with dual work experience, you need to know the eligibility criteria for Express Entry work experience.
Well, each of the three immigration programs within the Express Entry system has its own set of work experience requirements. Here’s a breakdown of what each program expects.
Canadian Work Experience
To qualify your work experience under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), it must meet these conditions:
- The work should fall under NOC TEER levels 0, 1, 2, or 3.
- You must have done this work while physically in Canada with valid authorization (a work permit).
- The job must be paid — either wages or commission.
- You need to have completed at least one year of full-time work (or the part-time equivalent) in the three years before applying.
Keep in mind: work completed while studying in Canada or during co-op placements doesn’t count toward CEC work experience.
Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
For applicants under the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), your work experience needs to check these boxes:
- It must fall under specific NOC categories like Major Groups 72 (excluding 726), 73, 82, 83, 92, 93 (excluding 932), Unit Group 62200, or Minor Group 6320.
- It must be paid and legally authorized.
- You need to have at least two years of full-time experience (or 3,120 hours) in the last five years.
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
If you’re applying through Federal Skilled Worker Program, these are the work experience rules:
- Your job should be in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation.
- The job experience must be continuous, full-time (or part-time equivalent), and must add up to one year (1,560 hours).
- It should match the NOC you’re using as your primary occupation in your application.
- It must have been completed within the last 10 years.
- It must be paid and done with appropriate authorization.
Interestingly, work experience gained while studying full-time can count toward eligibility under FSWP — but it won’t earn you CRS points.
What’s NOC and TEER, Anyway?
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is Canada’s official system for organizing jobs by skill level and job duties. Every job is placed into a TEER category that shows how much training, education, and experience is required. Here’s a quick guide:
- TEER 0: Management-level roles.
- TEER 1: Jobs usually requiring a university degree.
- TEER 2 & 3: College diplomas or apprenticeship training.
- TEER 4 & 5: Jobs with fewer formal education or training requirements.
Knowing where your job falls in the TEER system helps determine which immigration pathways you qualify for.
How IRCC Calculates Work Experience for CRS Points?
To maximize your CRS score with dual work experience, it’s important to understand how IRCC counts your work hours.
Here’s the baseline: one year of full-time work means working 30 hours per week for 12 months — or 1,560 hours.
You can meet this requirement in different ways:
- 30 hours/week for 12 months.
- 15 hours/week for 24 months.
- Any combination that adds up to 1,560 hours.
What you can’t do is claim more than 30 hours per week toward your total. Even if you worked 40 or 50 hours a week, IRCC will still count only up to 30 hours weekly for CRS purposes.
If you’re working both a foreign and Canadian job simultaneously — and both are eligible — you could potentially double your recognized work experience. That means in one calendar year, you could get the equivalent of two years of work experience for CRS scoring.
What Qualifies as Canadian Work Experience?
Under Express Entry, Canadian work experience must:
- Be earned while you’re physically in Canada.
- Be done under valid work authorization (like a work permit).
- Be paid.
- Be for a Canadian employer.
If you’re working remotely from within Canada for a Canadian company, that counts. But if you’re working remotely for a Canadian company from outside Canada, it doesn’t qualify as Canadian work experience.
How Is Foreign Work Experience Defined?
Foreign work experience, on the other hand, has slightly looser conditions. To be eligible:
- It must be performed outside of Canada.
- It must be paid work.
- It must be completed under legal authorization in the country where the employer operates.
Interestingly, remote work done for a foreign company while you’re living in Canada may still count as foreign work experience — even though you’re physically in Canada. Just be sure to provide supporting documents, like your employment agreement and proof of remote work.
Immigtoronto is dedicated to helping prospective immigrants find their path to permanent residency. Our team is ready to assist you with any inquiries; simply get in touch by sending an email to [email protected].
