Higher-earning workers may be prioritized for permanent residence sooner than previously anticipated, under the planned overhaul of Express Entry, the Canadian federal government\u2019s flagship system for selecting skilled immigrants.<\/p>\n
Although the full suite of planned changes to Express Entry is expected to be implemented 12 \u2013 18 months from now, the new High-Wage Occupation factor may drop much sooner, according to a high-ranking official at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).<\/p>\n
See how competitive your Express Entry profile is Among other details, the official also further clarified a number of previously revealed details, including that candidates in the Express Entry<\/a> pool will have their CRS<\/a> scores at the time of the change, and that points for studying in Canada may persist for higher levels of education.<\/p>\n These details come from an April 21 IRCC<\/a> webinar for immigration lawyers and build on the proposals first made public on April 10.<\/p>\n New details from the April 21 webinar<\/p>\n The following developments have been confirmed per the meeting notes of the April 21 webinar:<\/p>\n The full regulatory process (timeline for all changes) will likely be between 12 and 18 months.; The following developments are planned to occur:<\/p>\n Trade points will likely be tiered, with more points for full licensure than for apprenticeship; and The following are still being considered:<\/p>\n The High Wage Occupation factor may roll out ahead of the full program merge; and Clarifications on earlier proposals<\/p>\n The following clarifications are confirmed to be the case per the meeting notes:<\/p>\n When the changes take place, candidates who have already received ITAs<\/a> issued prior to the changes, or who have submitted or who go on to submit applications, will have their applications assessed under the rules in place at the time they each received their ITA; High Wage Occupation factor may be fast-tracked<\/p>\n IRCC said the High Wage Occupation factor may be accelerated to support Canada’s talent attraction strategy sooner.<\/p>\n As reported on April 10<\/a>, the High Wage Occupation factor would award extra CRS points to candidates with Canadian work experience or a job offer in an occupation that pays above the national median hourly wage.<\/p>\n The April 21 notes also reveal that while the official definition of a job offer is still being developed, it will \u201clikely align with current regulations\u201d in terms of needing to be a \u201cfull-time job offer in a high-wage occupation, with Labour Market Impact Assessmen<\/a>t (LMIA) requirements or exemptions\u201d.<\/p>\n Points are proposed to be awarded in three tiers based on how far above the median an occupation sits.<\/p>\n IRCC clarified that the high-wage factor will be based on the Job Bank rate of pay associated with the National Occupation Classification<\/a> (NOC) code for the candidate\u2019s occupation, not on the individual candidate\u2019s pay.<\/p>\n Full reform could take 12 to 18 months<\/p>\n IRCC estimates that the full regulatory process typically takes 12 to 18 months. This is the first timeline estimate the department has given since announcing the proposals.<\/p>\n This extended timeline may be due to the standard process required to make regulatory amendments.<\/p>\n Further CRS changes could take effect before the program merger<\/p>\n IRCC told stakeholders that changes to the ranking system will be made through Ministerial Instructions, while changes to the minimum eligibility criteria will require regulatory amendments.<\/p>\n This matters because Ministerial Instructions can be issued significantly faster than regulatory changes.<\/p>\n This provides the mechanism by which CRS changes proposed\u2014 including the High Wage Occupation factor \u2014 could come into effect ahead of the merger of the three federal economic programs.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nCRS changes will use Ministerial Instructions, while program changes will be made through regulation changes; and
\nAge-related CRS points will not change.<\/p>\n
\nCertificate of Qualification points will likely be limited to Red Seal-designated trades.<\/p>\n
\nStudies-in-Canada points may be kept in a reduced form (i.e., higher education only).<\/p>\n
\nCandidates in the pool at the time of the change will have their CRS scores recalculated; and
\nFederal Skilled Worker Program<\/a> (FSWP) candidates with only foreign experience will remain viable.<\/p>\n