A question that comes up regularly is:
“Can my NYSC experience count as work experience for Canadian immigration?”
The answer depends on the facts and the requirements of the particular immigration program. Completing NYSC for one year does not, by itself, establish that the experience will qualify as eligible work experience.
The important questions include:
- Was the work paid/remunerated?
- What were the exact dates and hours?
- What duties did you actually perform?
- Do those duties correspond to the NOC being claimed?
- Was the work continuous and performed under the conditions required by the applicable program?
- Can the claimed experience be supported with reliable documentation?
For example, someone may have completed NYSC in a hospital and describe the experience as “nursing experience.” That description alone does not establish that IRCC will accept it as qualifying work experience.
The actual duties, employment conditions and requirements of the particular immigration program matter.
It is also important to keep different assessments separate.
An ECA deals with the assessment of a foreign educational credential. It does not, by itself, establish that a particular period of work experience qualifies for immigration purposes.
For regulated occupations such as nursing, professional licensing or registration is also a separate matter from immigration work-experience requirements.
Documentation is another important part of the assessment. Depending on the circumstances, this may include appointment or placement records, employment/service records, reference letters, payment records, bank records and other documents that help establish what was done, when it was done and under what conditions.
If you have NYSC plus other professional experience, don't automatically combine the periods simply because they relate to the same occupation.
Each period should be examined against the applicable requirements before deciding what can legitimately be claimed.
The practical lesson is:
Don't ask only, “Did I complete one year of NYSC?” Ask, “Can I demonstrate that this specific experience meets the requirements I'm relying on?”
No self-assessment tool, consultant or discussion forum can guarantee the outcome. Ultimately, the assessment of an application is made by IRCC based on the applicable requirements and the evidence submitted.
