Changes to the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System – Extra points for Canadian education, reduced points for most LMIAs

Ministerial Instructions coming into effect on November 19, 2016 will grant more points under the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to applicants with Canadian educational credentials, and reduce the points granted to applicants with offers of arranged employment supported by an LMIA.

The Ministerial Instructions will create a new category of points for Canadian Educational Credentials. Applicants who have completed a Canadian one-year or two-year post-secondary program will score 15 additional points. Applicants who have completed a Canadian 3-4 year post-secondary program, Master’s Degree, Doctoral Degree, or entry-to-practice professional degree will score 30 additional points. These points will only be granted for the highest level of Canadian education an applicant has completed.

The Ministerial Instructions will also reduce the number of points granted to applicants holding offers of arranged employment supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). The previous instructions granted 600 points to applicants if they had an offer of arranged employment supported by an LMIA. The new instructions coming into force on November 19, 2016 will grant 50 points for most offers of arranged employment supported by an LMIA. If the offer is in a position in Major Group 00 under the National Occupational Classification system, 200 points will be granted. Although an offer of arranged employment supported by an LMIA is no longer a practical guarantee of an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence (ITA), the additional points provided by an LMIA will still likely be necessary in most cases to ensure enough points to receive an ITA.

An additional 50 points will also be granted to applicants with offers of permanent employment for LMIA-exempt employers with they have worked in a continuous full-time (or equivalent part-time) capacity for at least 1 year. These include applicants who have worked in Canada on an Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) work permit, NAFTA work permit, or religious/charitable workers.

In 2017, Canada intends to welcome more Economic-Class immigrants than ever before. A total of 172,500 skilled workers will become permanent residents under IRCC’s 2017 target figures, up from 160,600 in 2016. The new Ministerial Instructions evidence IRCC’s continued commitment to seeking to applicants able to economically establish themselves in Canada. Applicants with Canadian educational credentials will now earn additional points equivalent to 1-2 years of additional Canadian work experience under the previous instructions. This change should streamline the selection process in favour of applicants who have committed themselves to becoming established in Canada over many years of studying and working in Canada.