Citizenship and Immigration Minister John McCallum’s announced changes will likely make it easier for international students to stay after graduation
Canada’s government today announced major changes to Express Entry, the system under which most immigrants obtain permanent residence here.
The instructions from Minister of Citizenship and Immigration John McCallum, published in today’s gazette and set to take effect on November 19, award additional points to applicants whose degrees were obtained in Canada, and make significant changes to the weighting of job offers.
- Applicants set to take certain managerial-level jobs will now get 200 points,
These occupations are:
0011 Legislators
0012 Senior government managers and officials
0013 Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services
0014 Senior managers – health, education, social and community services and membership organizations
0015 Senior managers – trade, broadcasting and other services not elsewhere classified.
0016 Senior managers – construction, transportation, production and utilities
while other positions are worth 50.
- An additional category of applicant will now also qualify to these additional points: Foreign workers with employer-specific permits under a trade deal like NAFTA or GAT. Someone who has been in Canada under the terms of a free trade agreement, and who wants to obtain permanent residence.
- Under the new system, applicants with a Canadian educational credential (International students) will get up to 30 additional points. “It’s going to be a boon to international students who have studied here
0 points, if the foreign national has a secondary school educational credential;
15 points, if the foreign national has an eligible credential from a one-year or two-year post-secondary program; and
30 points, if the foreign national has either:
an eligible credential from a post-secondary program of three years or more,
an eligible credential from a university-level program at the master’s level or at the level of an entry-to-practice professional degree for an occupation listed in the National Occupational Classification matrix at Skill Level A for which licensing by a provincial regulatory body is required, or
an eligible credential from a university-level program at the doctoral level.
Points are only assigned for Canadian study experience if, for the purpose of obtaining the credential, the foreign national:
studied in Canada at a Canadian educational institution;
was enrolled in full-time study or training for at least eight months; and
was physically present in Canada for at least eight months.
- The changes also extend the deadline to apply for permanent residence once an invitation is issued from 60 to 90 days, allowing applicants more time to gather the necessary documents.
The consequences for candidates in the pool
On November 19, IRCC may automatically implement these changes for profiles already in the Express Entry pool. In many cases, candidates may notice that the number of CRS points awarded to them has not gone up.
It should be noted that candidates who obtain an enhanced nomination certificate through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) category will continue to be awarded 600 points. Additionally, candidates should note that IRCC’s recently-released Immigration Plan for 2017 revealed that the government of Canada aims to welcome around 51,000 new immigrants through the PNPs next year, a seven percent increase on the target for 2016.