Double Your CRS Points for Work Experience In Just One Year

Surya Rathee
[Published 08 Apr, 2025 | 04:09 AM]
About Author - 7 min read
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Did you know that it's possible to gain Canadian and foreign work experience at the same time - and boost your CRS score by over 60 points in just one year? Yes, you read that right.

If you're planning to apply for permanent residency through Canada's Express Entry system, this method can significantly increase your chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

Let’s break it down with an example.

Example: Abhishek Verma 

Abhishek is a 29-year-old Indian citizen who recently completed his Master’s degree in Data Analytics at a Canadian university. He's now working full-time in Canada on a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) as a data analyst for a Canadian financial firm. His job falls under TEER 1 of the National Occupation Classification (NOC), which means it’s a skilled position.

After working in Canada for one year, Abhishek qualifies for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). So far, he has only Canadian work experience and no foreign work experience. Based on his profile, he currently scores 465 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

Now, here’s where it gets interesting.

Abhishek receives a job offer from an Indian startup to work remotely as a part-time Data Visualization Specialist - another TEER 1 job. Since he's already working during the day for her Canadian employer, he decides to take this second job and work for the Indian company in the evenings.

Because he's working remotely for an Indian employer while physically present in Canada, this counts as foreign work experience.

So now, while still living and working in Canada, Abhishek is gaining:

• Canadian work experience through his full-time job in Canada, and
• Foreign work experience through his remote job with the Indian company.

After one more year of doing both jobs, Abhishek will have two years of Canadian experience and one year of foreign work experience. This adds valuable points to his Express Entry profile, especially under the Skills Transferability section. His CRS score jumps from 465 to 528, giving him a much better chance of receiving an ITA.

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How can you do this?

If you are working two jobs while living in Canada - one for a Canadian employer and another for a foreign (outside Canada) employer - you might be able to count both as work experience in your Express Entry profile. But for this to work, both jobs must meet the rules of the program.

This is possible when someone works remotely for a foreign company while also working in-person or remotely for a Canadian company (while staying inside Canada).

To count both jobs, you must make sure:

• The work matches the requirements of the Express Entry program you are applying under.
• Your Canadian job meets the rules for valid Canadian work experience (paid, full-time or part-time, legal job in Canada, and within the right job type/NOC level).
• Your foreign job meets the rules for foreign work experience (paid, legal, and outside Canada - remote work for a foreign company while inside Canada is usually accepted).

If both jobs qualify, you can earn more CRS points and increase your chances of getting permanent residence.

Work experience requirements for Express Entry

Each Express Entry stream has different rules for acceptable work experience. To qualify, your job must be paid and meet the criteria set under Canada's National Occupation Classification (NOC) and TEER systems.

How is the work experience counted?

If you’re claiming both Canadian and foreign work experience at the same time through Express Entry, it’s important to know how IRCC counts your work hours.

One year of full-time work means working 30 hours per week for 12 months - that’s 1,560 hours total. Part-time work can count, too, as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours. For example, working 15 hours a week for 2 years also equals one year of full-time work. Even if you work more than 30 hours a week, only 30 hours per week will count toward your experience.

If you’re working one job in Canada and another remote job for a foreign employer at the same time, you can count both - but still, only up to 30 hours per week per job. That means you can claim a maximum of two years of experience (one Canadian and one foreign) in a single year - no more.

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How does Express Entry define Canadian and foreign work experience?

Under Express Entry, Canadian work experience must be earned while physically living in Canada with a valid Canadian Work Permit. The job must be paid and done for a Canadian employer. Even if you worked remotely, it only counts if you were inside Canada during that time. If you worked remotely from another country for a Canadian employer, that work does not count as Canadian experience.

On the other hand, foreign work experience is more flexible. To qualify, the job must have been outside Canada, paid, and legal in that country (with proper authorization or license if required). Interestingly, if you’re living in Canada and working remotely for a foreign employer, that can still count as foreign work experience under Express Entry.

When applying, just make sure to include documents like your job contract and proof that your remote work was arranged with your employer to support your experience claim.

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