For someone who did a paid co-op during studies, then took a temporary unrelated contract job on a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), and is now moving to a permanent job that matches their field, the group's guidance covered three specific questions:
- Which federal stream applies? The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is the appropriate federal Express Entry stream here, since it's designed for people who already have qualifying skilled work experience gained in Canada (rather than Federal Skilled Worker, which is for experience gained abroad).
- Does co-op experience count toward your Canadian work experience total? No — co-op/internship experience completed as part of your study program is generally not counted toward the Canadian work experience needed for CEC eligibility or CRS work-experience points.
- Can you claim extra CRS points for having a Canadian professional certification? Only if you hold an actual provincial certification in your field. Being registered as an EIT (Engineer-in-Training) does not count as a certification for this purpose — it's a training/registration status, not a licensed credential, so it won't earn you additional points.
If your goal is to eventually claim certification-related points, look into what your provincial engineering regulator (e.g. a provincial Association of Professional Engineers) requires to move from EIT status to a full P.Eng. designation, since that's the credential that would actually count.