A student who worked full-time in a NOC A role during a co-op term, and then continued the same job full-time (while taking evening classes) for a further period, asked whether any of that time counts as Canadian work experience for a future PR application.
What group members advised — with a genuine split in opinion:- The general consensus is that work done under a study permit does not count as Canadian experience for immigration purposes.
- However, one member relayed an immigration consultant's comment suggesting a possible nuance: co-op work specifically does not count, but full-time work that isn't formally a co-op placement 'may' count if it meets certain conditions — though this was described as an unverified, secondhand claim, not something confirmed directly.
Given the mix of a firm general rule and an unverified exception, don't assume study-permit-era work (co-op or otherwise) will count toward CEC without professional, case-specific confirmation — treat the informal claim about non-co-op full-time work as something to verify with an RCIC or immigration lawyer rather than rely on directly.