If you’re a foreigner looking to move to Canada, you’ll want to pay attention to the changes coming to the Express Entry immigration route. Canada is planning some big changes, which will affect how foreigners are chosen for residency. In this blog post, we’ll discuss what these changes are and how they may impact your plans to move to Canada.
The Canadian government is in the process of designing a comprehensive overhaul of its point-based Express Entry system, which will allow the government to invite candidates who meet real-time labour needs.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is Canada’s main immigration system for economic migrants. The system was introduced in 2015 and has since been used to welcome over 100,000 new permanent residents to Canada.
Under Express Entry, foreign nationals are assessed against a set of criteria and given a score out of 1200 points. The highest-scoring candidates are then invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada through regular draws from the Express Entry pool.
What are the changes?
The Canadian government is planning to make a number of changes to Express Entry. These changes are designed to make the system more responsive to labour market needs and to attract a wider range of highly-skilled workers.
So what exactly are the changes? Well, for starters, the government is planning to give more weight to applicants who have a job offer from a Canadian employer. This is good news for those of you who already have a job lined up in Canada. However, it means that those of you who don’t have a job offer will need to work harder to make your application stand out. The government is also planning to give more weight to applicants who have spouses or common-law partners who are already living in Canada.
According to the proposed bill, the new version of the Express Entry system will allow invitations to be based on such criteria as specific academic credentials and industry-based occupations.
In various meetings with stakeholders or public forums, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has indicated that the current Express Entry program is being evaluated.
The Express Entry system currently ranks applicants from a wide pool, incorporating aspects such as age, education, employment history, job offer, and language abilities (including in French). Those who achieve the cut-off on the Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) are invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada.
Express entry categories are the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canada Experience Class. The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are also part of Express Entry.
In July, Canada is anticipated to restart its Express Entry draws for all three categories. The country expects new applications to take six months, as was the case prior to the pandemic.
As of late, the nation likewise declared extra advantages for international students. International students who enter Canada after July 1, 2022, and have a post-graduation work permit that will expire between January and December 2022 will be eligible for an extended open work visa valid for up to 18 months. In 2022, about 95,000 PGWPs will expire, and as many as 50,000 PGWP holders may profit from the new open work permit.
Indians have continued to dominate the granting of PR cards and student visas. Indian citizens received 50,841 invitations to apply for permanent residence in Canada under the “Express Entry” option in 2020. In 2021, Canada admitted a record 405,000 new immigrants, allowing nearly 100,000 Indians to become permanent residents of Canada.
These are just some of the changes that are being planned for the Express Entry immigration route. While these changes may seem small, they could have a big impact on who is chosen for residency. If you’re planning to move to Canada, make sure you stay up-to-date on these changes to be prepared when they come into effect.
ISA Global can help you with immigration to Canada through the Express Entry system. Our team of experts will make sure your application is strong and stands out from the rest.
