Canadian Experience Class Now Open for Business

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Sep 05 (MARKET WIRE) --
The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration,
today announced that certain temporary foreign workers and students can
start applying for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience
Class starting September 17, 2008.

"With the Canadian Experience Class fully in place, Canada will be more
competitive in attracting and retaining individuals with the skills we
need," said Minister Finley. "It, along with other recent improvements to
modernize the immigration system, will go a long way in bringing Canada
in line with its global competitors while further spreading the benefits
of immigration into smaller centres across Canada."

The Canadian Experience Class is a new avenue of immigration for certain
temporary foreign workers and foreign student graduates with
professional, managerial and skilled work experience. Unlike other
programs, the Canadian Experience Class allows an applicant's experience
in Canada to be considered a key selection factor when immigrating to
Canada.

The final implementation of the Canadian Experience Class reflects what
was originally proposed on August 9, 2008. The main difference is that
those who have left Canada, but otherwise meet the requirements as
workers or graduates, will be eligible to apply provided they do so
within one year of leaving their job in Canada. Under the proposal, CIC
had suggested that applicants would be required to have temporary
resident status and be present in Canada to be eligible to apply. The
Government of Canada has since chosen to cast a wider net to avoid
missing those with the Canadian experience we want, through residency
restrictions.

The final regulations for the Canadian Experience Class will be published
in the Canada Gazette.

Contacts:
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Minister's Office
Tim Vail
Press Secretary
613-954-1064

Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Media Relations
Communications Branch
613-952-1650

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