Canada planning major Express Entry changes || VO Visas

 Canada planning major Express Entry changes || VO Visas

Future fast submission rounds may invite candidates by major, language, or educational level.

The Canadian government is planning changes to the Express Entry system to allow the immigration minister to invite candidates based on economic goals.

In an email to CIC News, Aiden Strickland, a spokesman for the immigration minister, said the proposed changes would improve Canada's ability to screen applicants that meet its financial needs.

"Through our growing pool of permanent resident applicants, IRCC will be able to conduct targeted lotteries designed to select those in the cohort with specific language skills or healthcare qualifications, to name a few," Strickland wrote. "This is critical to addressing Canada's labor shortage."

The changes are currently being discussed in Canada's parliament. On May 19, Philip Somogyvari of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) presented the proposed changes to the Standing Committee on Immigration and Citizenship of the Council of Elected Officials Responsible for Immigration to Canada.

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IRCC Director-General Somogyvari said the changes would empower the Immigration Minister to invite Express Entry candidates on a new basis in support of economic objectives set by the Minister.

"Membership requirements for a category will be determined by the minister and may be based on factors such as work experience, educational background, or language skills," Somogyvari said.

"For example, if immigration is desired to support the growth of Canada's tech sector, it will be based on whether they have work experience in the industry and/or have equivalent qualifications. Invitations can then be sent to the highest-ranked candidates in that category. "

Lottery details, including unique eligibility criteria, will continue to be posted on the IRCC website. The minister must also identify the economic objectives that he wishes to support and report annually to parliament on the use of those drawings. Asked by NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan what occupations would be included in those draws, Somojivari said the government does not currently list any occupations.

 

Currently, the Minister of Immigration is unable to invite candidates from minority communities with specific work experience, educational credentials, or French as the official language of the Express Entry pool. That could change if proposed changes to Section 23 of House Bill C-19 are approved.

"The changes themselves, for example, will allow the minister to focus on all Francophone candidates in the Express Entry pool," Somogyvari said. "While French-speaking candidates currently receive bonus points that can improve their ranking scores, not all French-speaking candidates can be invited to the pool. In theory, the ministry could approve the proposal. Authorities conduct a round of invitations to invite almost all identified French-speaking candidates from the Express Entry pool."

The process of identifying selected groups is still under development. Somogyvari said the government can make such decisions in consultation with employer groups, stakeholders, the targets of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection, the Employment and Social Development Act, and provincial and territorial governments.

About Express Entry in 2022

Express Entry is the application management system for three immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

To immigrate through one of these programs, foreign workers must express their interest in Canadian immigration by completing a profile in the Express Entry system. Candidates who qualify for any of the three programs receive points based on their work experience, educational background, language skills, age, and other factors. IRCC invites the highest-scoring candidates to apply for permanent residence.

Recently, IRCC has only invited candidates nominated under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Following a backlog of Express Entry applications during the pandemic, IRCC suspended the FSWP invitation round in December 2020 and then suspended the CEC draw in September 2021. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser recently announced that the draw of these candidates will start in July and the criteria will be reset to six months for new applicants.

Somogyvari confirms that these changes will not affect existing or future processing times.

The current discussion

Guan asked the government to make a list of the groups that would be affected by the proposed law.

"I am concerned that there is no parliamentary scrutiny of what these groups will be," Kwan told the committee. "There is no process to determine whether these groups are fair or the [government's] effectiveness in selecting people who will contribute financially to Canada."

“Without a transparent selection process, in which industry can provide formal information about what jobs are needed, and an objective committee to determine the need for those jobs, the process could become fodder for lobbying industry,” Kwan continued. "We don't want that. I think we need fixed standards and transparent processes."

Standing committee chair Salma Zahid of the Liberal Party said she would present the changes to the proposed amendments by May 27. The Department of the Treasury will receive the request because it is the department that requested the Immigration Board to study the changes to Express Entry.

The letter will go to the Standing Committee on Finance, which will decide whether to turn the letter's proposals into proposed amendments during an article-by-article review of the bill, scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 30. Bell

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