Canada to plan major changes in Express Entry system

Express Entry is an application management system for three immigration programs:

Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP),

Canadian Experience Class (CEC),

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 are eligible for one of the three programs get a score 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 been holding invitation rounds for candidates who have received a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). After accumulating a backlog in Express Entry applications during the pandemic, IRCC paused invitation rounds for the FSWP in December 2020, and then paused CEC draws in September 2021.

The proposed changes will give power to the Immigration Minister to invite candidates based on their occupations.

Aside from existing eligibility requirements, the proposed amendments to Express Entry draws would allow the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to target new immigrants based on other criteria, such as language skills, or healthcare qualifications.

The changes could foster the growth of underdeveloped sectors in Canada by matching a candidate’s work experience or educational qualifications to specific industries.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser recently announced that draws for these candidates would resume in July, and processing standards would return to six months for new applicants.