Canada | Change in the Express Entry system

The Canadian government announced that temporary foreign workers who apply to become permanent residents through the Express Entry system will soon no longer get additional points if they have a job offer supported by a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Key Points:

• On Dec. 17, the government announced their Border Plan to strengthen border security and the immigration system, including changes to certain permanent residence applications.
• As part of that effort, officials announced that candidates for Express Entry will no longer receive additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for having a job offer effective spring 2025.
• Express Entry is Canada’s flagship application management system for those seeking to immigrate permanently through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Canadian experience class and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program.
• The changes will impact candidates pursuing permanent residence through the Express Entry system once they take effect, including those currently working in Canada temporarily.

Additional Information: Officials stated the changes will not affect candidates who have already been invited to apply or who have an application in progress. Once the change is introduced, it will apply to all candidates with job offers in the pool as well as new candidates entering the pool. Currently, LMIA-based job offers typically add 50 or 200 points towards Express Entry scores for having an offer of ongoing or future employment in Canada.

Canadian officials stated the intention of the policy change is to reduce fraudulent activities in Canada’s Express Entry System, particularly, the practice of illegally buying or selling labor market impact assessments to improve a candidate’s chances of being selected as a permanent resident.

In addition, the policy change supports the government’s ongoing efforts to reduce targets across multiple immigration streams while welcoming newcomers to support key sectors. The government hopes to balance the need to recruit skilled workers in these sectors that are needed to grow the economy while creating a more responsive, well-managed and fair immigration system.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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