Canada is planning major Express Entry changes!

Potential changes would allow the immigration minister to invite candidates based on the economic need. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) could conduct targeted draws aimed at selecting candidates with certain occupations, language skills or education.

The process for determining selection criteria is still being developed. The government would likely make such decisions after consultation with employer groups, stakeholders, the objectives within the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Employment and Social Development Canada, and provincial and territorial governments.

The Express Entry is an online system that manages applications from skilled workers looking to settle in Canada as permanent residents. It includes three categories: the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).  Currently, candidates are ranked in the application pool using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which is a points-based system.

Due to a congested backlog of over two million applications in the system, invitations in all categories were temporarily paused since September 2021 and are expected to resume again in July 2022.

The changes are currently being discussed and the process for determining selection criteria is still being developed.

Once the proposed changes are established, they will be announced on the Canada.ca website, however, we do not expect these changes to come into effect anytime soon.

Proposed bill: Bill – C19

Source: Study International