If you are working toward permanent residence (PR) in Canada, every week of work can feel important. Many temporary residents carefully count their Canadian work experience to make sure they meet the requirements. Because of this, planning a vacation can raise an important question: will taking time off delay your eligibility for PR?
Well the good news is that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) usually allows a reasonable amount of vacation time when counting Canadian work experience under Express Entry’s Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Still, there are some rules and details you should understand before booking time off.
CEC eligibility is based on skilled work experience gained in Canada. To qualify, you must complete at least 1,560 hours of paid skilled work. This equals 30 hours per week for 12 months, completed within the three years before you apply. Depending on the type of time off you take, your work experience may or may not count toward this total.
This article explains how different types of time off, such as statutory holidays, regular vacations, longer leaves, and remote work outside Canada can affect your CEC work experience.
Statutory Holidays Are Counted
Statutory holidays are official public holidays. On these days, employees are usually allowed to take time off with pay, depending on their job and local laws.
For immigration purposes, statutory holidays do count toward Canadian work experience under CEC.
This means that even if you did not work on that day, you can still count it as part of your qualifying Canadian work experience.
There are five statutory holidays nationwide, which include
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- Christmas Day
Federally regulated employees are entitled to additional statutory holidays, which include
- Easter Monday
- Victoria Day or National Patriot’s Day
- Truth and Reconciliation Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Remembrance Day
- Boxing Day
Each province and territory also has its own statutory holidays. For example, Prince Edward Island has Islander Day, and Nunavut has Nunavut Day. These holidays may also count if they apply to your job.
Short Vacations Of About Two Weeks
IRCC guidance given to immigration officers says that reasonable vacation periods are usually included when counting Canadian work experience.
A common example used by IRCC is a two-week paid vacation during a 52-week period of qualifying work.
This means that if you take a normal vacation of about two weeks, it usually counts toward your CEC work experience. This applies whether your vacation is taken inside Canada or outside Canada, as long as you are still employed in qualifying work and remain authorized to work.
However, there is one important rule. If your vacation is unpaid, those days will not count toward your required work hours. Only paid time can be included when calculating your 1,560 hours.
Longer Vacations Of Three Or Four Weeks
If you are planning a longer break, such as a three- or four-week vacation, the situation becomes less clear.
IRCC officer guidance explains that while reasonable vacation time can be allowed, every application is reviewed individually. Officers make their final decision based on the full details of your case.
For longer vacations, the work must be paid for it to even be considered as counting toward CEC requirements. Even then, there is no guarantee that the full time will be accepted.
If you are planning a longer vacation, the safest option is to build extra work time into your plan. This means working additional weeks beyond the minimum requirement before submitting your PR application. Doing this helps make sure you have met the work experience requirements.
Long Absences And Extended Leave
Longer breaks from work such as unpaid leave, extended time off, or parental or maternity leave do not count toward the 1,560-hour requirement.
Even if you remain officially employed, time spent away from work without pay does not add to your qualifying Canadian work experience.
Because of this, applicants who take longer leaves may need to work extra time after returning to their job to reach the required number of hours. In these situations, it is often better to wait until you clearly exceed the minimum work experience requirement before applying for PR.
This approach reduces stress and lowers the risk of falling short due to calculation differences.
Remote Work From Outside Canada Does Not Count
Some workers plan to travel outside Canada while continuing to work remotely for their Canadian employer. While this may be allowed by your employer, it does not help you meet CEC work experience requirements.
IRCC defines Canadian work experience very clearly. To qualify, you must be part of the Canadian labour market. This means you must be physically present in Canada while working.
As a result, time spent working remotely from outside Canada does not count toward the 1,560-hour requirement, even if your employer is Canadian.
IRCC may allow a short vacation period when calculating work experience, but this allowance cannot be used to count time spent working abroad as Canadian work experience.
Rules For Skilled Work Experience Under CEC
Apart from knowing how vacation time affects Canadian work experience for PR, let us discuss certain rules for skilled work experience under the CEC.
Well, to be counted as skilled work experience under the Canadian Experience Class, your work must meet all of the following requirements:
- Fall under TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system
- Your experience can be in more than one NOC
- Be gained by working in Canada while authorized to work under temporary resident status
- If you worked remotely, you must have been physically in Canada and working for a Canadian employer
- Show that you performed the actions in the lead statement of the NOC job description and most of the main duties listed
- Be paid work (wages or commission – unpaid internships and volunteer work don’t count)
- Total at least one year / 1,560 hours (equivalent to 30 hours per week) in the three years before you apply
NOTE: Under Canada’s NOC system, occupations are ranked across six TEER levels (0–5) according to the Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities they require, ranging from TEER 0 (highest-skilled) to TEER 5 (lowest-skilled).
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