IRCC proposed major Express Entry changes

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) proposed amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that will enable occupation-based invitations under Canada Express Entry.

A proposed amendment to Bill C-19 would give the immigration minister greater flexibility when inviting candidates from the Express Entry pool.

Specifically, it provides the minister with the authority to identify economic objective and invite candidates who are best suited to achieving that objective, based on factors such as work experience, education, and language expertise.

This would make it possible to conduct draws targeting specific National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes.

The changes are currently being discussed in the Canadian parliament. Philip Somogyvari, IRCC Director General, presented the proposed changes on May 19 to the Standing Committee on Immigration and Citizenship, a committee of elected officials that studies issues related to Canadian immigration.

According to him, the amendments would enable the immigration minister to invite Express Entry candidates on a different basis, one that would support an economic goal identified by the minister.

Somogyvari used the example of using immigration to support the growth of Canada’s technology sector.

“Eligibility requirements to be a member of a category would be established by the minister and could be based on factors such as work experience, educational background or language skills,” he told the community.

“Invitations could then be issued to the top-ranked candidates in that category.”

Details of the draw, including the unique eligibility criteria, will continue to be published on the IRCC website. Ministers would be required to identify the economic goal they are seeking to support, and report annually to Parliament on the use of these draws. When asked by Jenny Kwan, NDP immigration critic , which occupations would be included in these draws, Somogyvari replied that the government does not currently list any occupations.

At present, the immigration minister does not have the ability to invite candidates from the Express Entry pool who have a particular work experience, educational credential, or who are French speakers destined to an official language minority community. If the proposed amendments to division 23 of Bill C-19 are passed, that could change.

The process for determining which groups would be selected is still being developed. Somogyvari specified that the government would likely make decisions based on consultation with employer groups, stakeholders, and on the objectives within the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Of course they may also rely upon Employment and Social Development Canada or another provincial body.

The system can, however, look very different once draws resume this summer due to these latest proposed changes. In effect, thousands of invitations could be given to overseas applicants who did not receive invitations under previous draws because of lower CRS scores.