How to write a resume as a newcomer to Canada

A resume that worked at home can hold you back in Canada: a photo, a date of birth or five pages of detail all count against you here, while experience from abroad often undersells itself. Here’s what to change, based on the Government of Canada’s and the provinces’ own advice.

Updated October 2026. Sources are listed at the end.

See your resume in Canadian format Free Canadian resume template

Checklist

One to two pages, recent experience first
No photo, date of birth, marital status, religion, SIN or immigration status
Each job from abroad: employer, city and country, and what you did there
Education from abroad with its Canadian equivalent, if you’ve had it assessed
Licence status for a regulated occupation
Languages, with your level in each
References on a separate sheet

Try it with your resume

See your resume in Canadian format

Upload the resume or CV you used before you came, or paste it. In about 20 seconds you see it in a Canadian layout: US Letter, a summary of qualifications, Canadian section headings, every page as it prints. Your words are copied as written, never rewritten. Then take out what doesn’t belong and save it to download as PDF or Word. The example shows Luis, who spent seven years in supply chain in Colombia before moving to Ontario.

What to take out, and what to add

Job Bank lists the personal details that don’t belong on a Canadian resume, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission explains why: employers shouldn’t ask for photos or ages at the application stage, because they reveal things a hiring decision mustn’t rest on.

Take out

Your photo: Job Bank says it is not the norm in Canada
Date of birth or age, height, weight and marital status
Religion and political views
Your Social Insurance Number, ever
Your immigration or visa status (settlement services advise leaving it out)
A list of references, or “references available upon request”

Add or change

A summary of qualifications at the top, written for this job
Results with numbers, in each job, not only duties
A short description of employers outside Canada (common practice)
Canadian equivalents for your education, when you have them
Languages and your level in each
Volunteer work in Canada, if you have it: it counts as experience

Length and layout

Job Bank sets two pages as the limit and says experience from more than 15 years ago should be cut or kept short; Alberta, British Columbia and Québec all say one to two pages. Settlement.org allows up to three if you truly need it, but a recruiter reads the first page first: put your most relevant work there.

Keep your jobs in order, newest first. Québec.ca calls the combination résumé, with a summary of skills and achievements before your work history, the most common in Canada. Alberta’s alis says many Canadian employers don’t like functional résumés that group skills and hide dates, and advises against tables and columns.

Your work experience from abroad

Alberta’s newcomer guide asks for a short, detailed description of the work you did in each past job. Settlement.org’s sample résumé writes the employer as company name, city and country when the job wasn’t in Canada. A Canadian reader won’t know your former employer, so it’s common practice to add a few words on what it does and how big it is: “Andina Distribuidora (food distributor, 900 employees), Bogotá, Colombia”.

Write job titles in English, and describe the work so the title makes sense in Canada
Give scale a Canadian reader understands: staff, customers, sites, volume
Name the currency if you mention money, or describe the size another way
Put recent Canadian jobs first, even part-time or outside your field: they show you’re working here

Your education and credential assessment

An educational credential assessment compares your degree or diploma with Canadian ones. The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials lists the organizations that do it, among them World Education Services (WES), ICAS, IQAS, ICES and CES, and advises checking that the employer or regulatory body you’re applying to accepts the report. Alberta’s alis says you can include your assessment certificate when you apply for a job, while noting it doesn’t guarantee you the job.

On the resume, write the qualification as awarded, then the equivalent on the next line: “Assessed by World Education Services (WES) as equivalent to a Canadian bachelor’s degree (four years)”. Only write what the assessment says.

Regulated occupations and licences

Job Bank notes that most occupations in Canada are not regulated, but some are. Regulated occupations include many in health care, engineering, teaching, law and the skilled trades. For those, IRCC explains that you need your credentials recognized by the regulatory body to work in the occupation. Job Bank’s Foreign Credential Recognition Tool helps you find out whether yours is regulated and who regulates it.

If you’re partway through licensing, say so plainly on your resume, with the body and the stage you’ve reached, and apply in the meantime for roles you can do without the licence.

“Canadian experience”

The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s policy is that a strict requirement for Canadian experience is prima facie discrimination, and that employers should consider all of your previous work, wherever you did it. Since January 1, 2026, Ontario’s Employment Standards Act bars Canadian experience requirements in publicly advertised job postings (licensing requirements are separate). So give your experience from abroad the same space and detail as anything you’ve done in Canada.

Work permit, status and the SIN

The Ontario Human Rights Commission says employers may ask whether you’re legally entitled to work in Canada, but not about your permanent residence, refugee status or other details of your status, and not for your SIN before a conditional offer. Alberta’s guide adds that you don’t have to give your SIN until you’re hired. Many newcomers write “Eligible to work in Canada” under their name so the question doesn’t hold up their application: that’s common practice, not a requirement.

Languages

Canada has two official languages, English and French, and Québec.ca suggests listing the languages you know, spoken and written. Give a level for each one you list, and an official test score if a job asks for one.

References and cover letters

Job Bank, WorkBC and Québec.ca all say to keep references off the resume and give them when asked, on a separate sheet. Choose people who supervised you. References from abroad are usually fine if they can be reached easily and speak English or French (common practice). A cover letter isn’t always required, says Job Bank, but WorkBC’s advice is to include one when in doubt, and Alberta’s newcomer guide says to keep it under a page.

Free help with your resume

Settlement services funded by IRCC help newcomers find work at no cost, and immigrant-serving organizations run résumé workshops; IRCC’s service finder lists them outside Québec. Some help starts before you arrive: IRCC’s pre-arrival services include writing a Canadian-style résumé. In British Columbia there are over 100 WorkBC centres; in Québec, Services Québec offices offer the same help.

Then tailor it to each jobPaste a posting into the free resume and job description checker to see which requirements your resume proves. For the format itself, see the Canadian resume format guide and the free Canadian resume template.

Check against a posting

Questions

Do I need Canadian experience to get a job?

Employers can ask about all of your experience, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission says a strict requirement for “Canadian experience” is discrimination unless the employer can justify it. Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers can’t put Canadian experience requirements in public job postings. Your resume should present your experience from abroad as fully as your Canadian experience.

Should I put my immigration status on my resume?

No. Employers may ask whether you’re legally entitled to work in Canada, and settlement services advise leaving your immigration status off the resume. Writing “Eligible to work in Canada” under your name is common practice, not a requirement.

Do I need a credential assessment to apply for jobs?

Not for most jobs: most occupations in Canada aren’t regulated. An assessment helps an employer understand a degree from abroad, and you can mention it on your resume. For a regulated occupation, the regulatory body decides what it accepts, so check with it before paying for an assessment.

Can my resume be three pages?

Job Bank and the provincial guides say one to two pages. Settlement.org allows up to three if you really need it, but two pages with your most relevant experience in detail usually serves you better.

Should I translate my job titles?

Write them in English (or French, for French-language jobs). If the title wouldn’t mean much in Canada, add a few words on what the job involved, and make sure the description is accurate: employers may check with your former employer. That’s common practice; no official source sets a rule.

Where can I get my resume reviewed for free?

Government-funded settlement agencies help newcomers find work, including with resumes, at no cost: use IRCC’s service finder (outside Québec). In British Columbia there are WorkBC centres, and in Québec, Services Québec offices.

Sources

Checked October 2026.