![\"Immigration](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/d9e2a8e894f095bcee643086c384af72.jpeg\")
Canada changed its immigration policies in 2024, including placing a cap on the number of temporary residents, following an explosion in foreign labour in the wake of the pandemic. (Credit: Alexskopje\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n Canada changed its immigration policies in 2024, including placing a cap on the number of temporary residents, following an explosion in foreign labour in the wake of the pandemic. (Credit: Alexskopje\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n
Ottawa wants to change the existing immigration system<\/a> to better attract newcomers who are more likely to work in high-paid jobs<\/a>.<\/p>\n The federal government over the next month will be consulting stakeholders about reforming its Express Entry system, which started about a decade ago and provides prospective immigrants<\/a> with points for their education level, work experience, language proficiency, age and other factors.<\/p>\n The higher applicants score \u2014 the maximum is 1,200 \u2014 the higher the chance they have of becoming permanent residents, which eventually leads to citizenship<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ottawa is proposing to provide additional points to workers who have gained experience or found employment in high-wage jobs in Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cThis would enhance selection of skilled workers<\/a> with the highest earnings potential,\u201d the government said in a consultation document.<\/a><\/p>\n Bank of Nova Scotia economist Rebekah Young said the change would be \u201cpractical\u201d and could help Canada boost its struggling productivity levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n One way to measure newcomers\u2019 contribution to the economy<\/a> is by analyzing their earnings. If they earn more than the average Canadian\u2019s income, they are more likely to be making a positive contribution to productivity. If they are concentrated in low-wage job sectors, they are more likely to reduce labour productivity.<\/p>\n Young said the government shouldn\u2019t just focus on proven high-skilled workers, but also bring in people who are likely to be successful in the long term. As an example, she said a 25-year-old is unlikely to initially earn as much as a 50-year-old even if they have similar skill sets.<\/p>\n A high-paid job makes it more likely for a newcomer to be financially successful in Canada, but studying here does not, the government\u2019s consultation paper said. Whether this could lead to fewer points for those with Canadian degrees remains unclear.<\/p>\n Statistics Canada\u2019s studies prior to the pandemic said people with a Canadian degree were more likely to be successful, Young said, but this was before the whole system \u201cexploded\u201d as a lot more international students entered right after the pandemic to help deal with a labour crisis.<\/p>\n But Canada changed its policies<\/a>, including placing a cap on the number of temporary residents in 2024, and the situation seems to have improved since then.<\/p>\n Young expects education to become a strong predictor of success in the near future.<\/p>\n She also said there needs to be more transparency about the category-based system, which allows the federal government to select certain immigrants<\/a>, including pilots, doctors and people who speak French, regardless of the points that they score.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s subject to a lot of judgment as to what they consider critical categories,\u201d Young said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s where you get the dilution. There\u2019s not a lot of transparency on how they decided that versus some other categories. At a certain point, it just becomes a slippery slope where, to somebody, every job is going to be critical.\u201d<\/p>\n