An applicant asked what date to enter for a specific field when creating their Express Entry profile, and whether they're eligible if their primary occupation's NOC duration is under one year.
What the group clarified:- If your occupation requires a license/degree as a prerequisite, use the date you completed that degree. Example given: if your profession needs a degree and you graduated in June 2015, you enter June 2015.
- More generally, use the month/year you completed your qualifying degree, OR the month/year you started your first job in that NOC — whichever is the relevant milestone for your specific occupation category.
- If your NOC doesn't require a license to practice, use your graduation year as the reference date instead of a job-start date.
Takeaway: the correct date depends on whether your occupation is licensed/regulated (use degree completion or first job start in that NOC) or unlicensed (use your graduation year) — get this right since it affects how your eligibility and experience duration are calculated.