A new article titled “International students who become permanent residents in Canada”, has found that between 20%-27% of the international students who came to Canada to study during the 1990s and early 2000s, obtained permanent resident status within 10 years after receiving their first study permit.

There has been a substantial increase in the number of international students in recent years. During the period 1990-1994, Canada admitted 158,000 international students, an average of about 31,000 per year.  From 2005 to 2009, Canada admitted 340,000 international students and from 2010 to 2013, 385,000 international students entered the country.  Canada currently admits approximately 140,000 international students each year.

The increase in the number of international students was accompanied by changes in source country composition. The proportion of international students from China or India increased from 6% in the early 1990s to 37% in the early 2010s.

Changes in their characteristics also occurred with the increase in international students. Among those who arrived between 1990 and 1994, 43% were enrolled in primary or secondary schools, while 18% came to pursue a university degree. The remaining 39% were enrolled in trades, other post secondary or other programs.

In comparison, among those who arrived between 2010 and 2013, 22% were enrolled in primary and secondary schools while 29% attended university. The remaining 49% were enrolled in trades (6%), other post secondary (34%) or other programs.

A number of international students eventually become permanent residents in Canada and most obtain their permanent resident status within the 10 years following the receipt of their first study permit. Among those who obtained their first study permit between 1990 and 1994, 27% became permanent residents in the 10 years that followed.

In the early 2000s, the selection process of immigrants changed as principal applicants in the economic class received more points for being of prime working age, proficient in English or French, having Canadian work experience, and having a university degree.

This led to an increase in the number of international students admitted to Canada as principal applicants in the economic class.

However, under the new Express Entry immigration system introduced early this year, it is now nearly impossible for most international student graduates to become permanent residents unless their employers can prove that no Canadians are available for the position.

During the recent federal election campaign, the new Liberal promised to “make changes to the Canadian Experience Class to reduce the barriers to immigration that have been imposed on international students.  It remains to be seen when and how this will take place.

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Express Entry is an immigration system implemented by Canadian immigration authorities (“CIC”) on January 1, 2015 which manages skilled worker applications under Federal Economic programs.  This includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Skilled Trades Program, the Canada Experience Class and certain parts of the Provincial Nominee Program.

Through December 18^th, 2015, CIC conducted 23 draws, issuing 31,018 invitations to apply for permanent residence.  Read how the system has fared during its first year.

How does express entry operate?

Colin Singer: Under Express Entry, qualified applicants across many occupations are invited to submit their profile to an Express Entry Pool and to the Canada Job Bank.

Employers across Canada are encouraged to consult the Canada Job Bank and provide a job offer to the candidate of their choice.

Applicants with an approved job offer or those selected by a province or with provincial nomination under a PNP program are considered a “match” and will be invited to formally apply for Canadian permanent residence.

The profiles of the remaining applicants will be ranked for consideration without a “sponsor” or hiring employer. Using a point system according to a number of selection factors such as Age, Education, Language, Experience and other factors, the highest ranked candidates will be considered for their potential “human capital” contribution to Canada.

Immigration authorities will then decide which of the highest ranked applicants will be invited to apply for permanent residence, through periodic draws.  Candidates who are issued invitations (ITA’s) are given a delay of 60-days to perfect their application.

It appears candidates who were selected during the first draws had very high comprehensive ranking scores.  Why is this?

Colin Singer: We believe that during the initial stages, CIC aimed to set the bar as high as possible.  It wanted to showcase its new Express Entry Immigration system as a successful program that brings candidates to Canada with a strong likelihood of integrating fully and quickly into the Canadian labour market.

Studies show that applicants with a valid job offer (LMIA) or having Provincial Nomination (PNP), have the highest chances of meeting these objectives.  During the first 4 draws only applicants with an LMIA or Provincial Nomination received ITA’s.  It is no surprise that CIC set the bar as high as it could for the first series of draws.

Candidates who were selected from subsequent draws still had strong comprehensive scores.  What does this mean?

Colin Singer: We can observe that after the first 4 draws, the minimum CRS scores averaged 465 in 18 of the 19 subsequent draws, through December 18^th 2015.   The lowest CRS score was 450.  Many candidates received an invitation without LMIA or PNP nomination.

Annual levels for 2015 have been raised to between 260,000 – 285,000 which will represent Canada’s highest immigration levels in 5 years.  Canada’s annual admissions this year will derive significantly from the Express Entry system.  Beginning in 2016, the majority of economic class admissions to Canada will derive from this system.

We expect that in order for CIC to reach its annual immigration levels, CRS scores will significantly decline, possibly into the 300’s in future draws.  This will favor candidates without an LMIA or PNP.

The mid-year report indicates that 85 per cent of successful applicants were already living in Canada as temporary workers. What does this mean?

Colin Singer: At the early stages, it appeared there was a move toward a “two-step” immigration system where individuals first come to Canada temporarily and then transitioned to permanent residence.  However, figures subsequent to the mid-year report indicate that only 25% of invitations issued to candidates listed Canada as their current place of residence.  The majority of applicants selected under express entry in future draws, will reside outside of Canada.

Under express entry, are candidates required to obtain a job offer from a “sponsor” Canadian employer?

Colin Singer: An approved job offer (LMIA) from an employer in Canada is a significant benefit but it is not a requirement.

Is express entry the only way to immigrate to Canada?

Colin Singer: There are many other streams of immigration that do not fall under the federal Express Entry system. Each of the provinces promotes its own immigration programs (PNP’s) outside of Express Entry.  Quebec also has a robust skilled worker program and a Quebec Experience Program which does not fall under the Express Entry system.

Family sponsorship applications are also excluded from the express entry system.

Temporary immigration programs such as the temporary resident visa, work permit and study permits are also excluded from the system. Candidates must follow the procedures for applying under such programs and not the Express Entry system.

What are some of the flaws with the Express Entry system?

Temporary Foreign Workers – Employers who are interested in permanently retaining a foreign worker already working in Canada must still undergo an evaluation for a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment confirming that no Canadian is available and pay a $1000 government fee. This makes no sense because that confirmation was already rendered when the worker initially began working in Canada.  The government is encouraged to consider waiving the LMIA requirement for temporary foreign workers with valid LMIA’s working in Canada as the impact of these hires has already been assessed.  Moreover, long term retention is an important component of Canada’s immigration policies and such individuals have proven abilities to secure employment and contribute to the Canadian economy.

International Students – Before Ottawa’s points-based Express Entry system was introduced earlier this year, international students with a year of Canadian skilled work experience were guaranteed a pathway to permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).  However, under Express Entry it is now nearly impossible for most international student graduates to become permanent residents unless their employers can prove that no Canadians are available for the position.

The Express Entry system requires students to compete under the points-based system with everyone in the express entry pool. Applicants receive points for a number of factors including education, age, work experience and language abilities in English and French. Applicants who reach the minimum score under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) set by government will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence.  Students with only a few years of experience in the pool cannot score sufficiently high to receive an invitation to apply.  The system in its current format unnecessarily deprives Canada of highly skilled candidates who will contribute significantly to its human capital.

Job Matching – The Express Entry system features a job matching functionality which attempts to link registered candidates with employers advertising job vacancies.   However many of the job postings are frequently out of date.  More importantly, there are ongoing systemic flaws which bring into question the viability of a nation-wide on-line service of this nature including excessive processing delays to obtain an LMIA and work permit, (often exceeding 6 months), unreasonable government fees and a lack of consistency to secure recognition of foreign credentials between the provinces for regulated professions.

 Is express entry a success?

Colin Singer: Express Entry is a success to the extent that the inventory of potential candidates and the processing of applications for permanent residence by immigration authorities are easier to manage than previously.

How is immigration.ca positioned for Canada’s express entry immigration system?

Colin Singer: We strongly believe that employment recruitment and individualized search consulting assistance is an important consideration for all immigrant applicants to Canada as well as Canadian employers.  In 2007, we acquired Global Recruiters of Montreal (www.grnmontreal.com) an independently owned franchise of Chicago based Global Recruiters Network.  GRN Montreal provides search consulting expertise that applicants and employers require.  We provide all our immigration clients with invaluable, search consulting services from our in-house trained recruiters. We regularly provide search consulting and immigration services to Canadian employers.  A number of our clients have settled in Canada via express entry.

We believe our clients have the best chances to succeed in their immigration projects under Canada’s Express Entry immigration system.

Express Entry – The Numbers*

• 36.57% – Percent of active candidates in the Express Entry Pool relative to the number of Express Entry Profiles submitted.
• 61% – Percent of applications for permanent residence received by CIC relative to the number of invitations issued.
• 87% – Percent of active candidates in the Express Entry Pool with CRS scores of 300-450.
• 44% – Percent of invitations issued to Indian Nationals representing the first source country of nationality.
• 25% – Percent of invitations issued to candidates who list Canada as their current place of residence.
• 16% – Percent of applicants admitted to Canada annually under the Quebec skilled worker program.
• *Statistics compiled from data issued by CIC

Colin R. Singer is immigration counsel for www.immigration.ca and Managing Partner of Global Recruiters of Montreal. He is one of Canada’s foremost senior corporate immigration attorneys. Colin is internationally recognized as an experienced and recommended authority on Canadian immigration and foreign recruitment. In addition to being licensed human resources professional, he is a licensed Canadian lawyer in good standing with the Quebec Law Society for more than 25 years and is authorized by the Canadian government in all immigration matters.

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

A recent survey released this month shows Canada ranks fourth as a global destination for international students after the United States, Britain and Australia. But recent changes to the immigration system have made it much harder for foreign students who graduate from Canadian universities to immigrate here.

In January 2015, the federal government introduced the Express Entry immigration system. Prior to that, most foreign students who graduated from Canadian universities and colleges qualified to immigrate after working here for a year after graduation under the Canadian Experience Class. A government-approved job offer was not required.

Under the new rules, immigration applications are prioritized on the basis of a point system. Individuals with government-approved job offers are processed first. While many foreign students despite having years of Canadian work experience, do not receive the government’s approval.

Individuals with government-approved job offers have been identified as needed by Canadian employers and, in order to receive government approval, their employers prove there are no Canadians or Canadian permanent residents willing and able for these jobs.‎

Prior to the introduction of the new system, Canada opened its immigration doors to foreign graduates. The  government recognized that encouraging immigration from a group of young, Canadian graduates, who speak university level English or French, and have lived, worked, studied, and paid taxes in Canada was good long term immigration policy.

Unfortunately, the Express Entry immigration system does not award enough points for Canadian education and Canadian work experience. Individuals with foreign education credentials that are “equivalent” to Canadian credentials can score the same number of points as those with Canadian degrees or diplomas.The problem with this approach is that Express Entry does not recognize that Canadian credentials are more valued by Canadian employers than “equivalent” foreign credentials.

By freezing out foreign students Canada risks ruining all the hard work that has gone into attracting them to Canada in the first place. Over the last few years, Canadian universities and colleges have made efforts to attract foreign students. Since they pay higher fees than Canadian students, this is a good source of revenue for most educational institutions.

In its election platform, the Liberal party proposed to decrease the time it would take a foreign student to become a Canadian citizen. Unless changes are made to the system, foreign students will be less and less likely to become permanent residents and this will likely harm Canada as a choice place of study for foreign students.

Foreign students are some of Canada’s best prospects for immigrants to Canada. Repairing the current system to provide foreign students a pathway to permanent residence is essential. The Liberal government must act accordingly.

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Newcomers to Canada are frequently the victims of an elaborate phone scam being carried out from someone claiming to be Citizenship and Immigration Canada demanding payment of a $2,500 fine.

Typically, callers claim that a targeted victim failed to file paperwork with a foreign visa office and that an outstanding fine needs to be paid. Failure to pay could result in deportation from Canada.

The authenticity of the caller appears legitimate as the call display screen usually identifies the caller as Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

Toronto Police said they receive complaints every day about similar scams, usually involving a fraudster posing as a government employee. The calls carry a false sense of authority and are specifically targeting immigrants.

The department has issued several public service alerts this year warning new immigrants to be wary of these types of calls. Staff at CIC never accept fine payments over the phone by pre-paid credit cards or private money transfers.

Given the influx of Syrian refugees arriving now and in the coming weeks, it is important that people become aware of this scam.

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Canada would like to extend an extra-special welcome to the ethnic, religious, and other groups that President Trump has advocated deporting from the United States: Muslims, Mexicans, black people and even those who look like Muslims.

Canada has so many amenities to offer. Please consider our free health care! Though we must admit that a proposed President Trump advocates sweeping Obama Care revisions which sound appealing, Canada offers all of the usual vaccines which Trump plans to ban.

President Trump once used American tax dollars to send five thousand pizzas to our Parliament Hill. In fact, eight per cent of American taxes are now allotted for “international pranks on huge haters.”

Feel free to tease your new Canadian brothers. We can laugh at ourselves!  Trump once called our maple leaf a “gay oak leaf.” He called French “gay English.” He called Canada “gay France, which is saying something, because France itself is very gay.”

Once you get settled in your new country, we think you will find that Canada is not the backwoods place Americans sometimes make it out to be. We have many modern conveniences, like paint, and milk!  We are so friendly we barely need locks on our doors. The locks are mainly to prevent our neighbors from coming over and doing chores for us overnight night.  Sometimes it becomes a pain when you cannot find things in the morning where you left them.

Canada uses the metric system, so there are a few conversions you should memorize, such as one pound equals 0.45 kilograms. And yes, we are fine with math here, which Trump calls “gay reading.”

And, we have a beautiful national anthem. We are so excited you’re here! If you need anything, don’t hesitate to shout. Which of course, in Canada means inquire at a reasonable, considerate volume before we turn off the lights at 22:00.

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

(Fourteenth successive draw with Comprehensive Ranking Score under 600)

December 18^th 2015 – Canadian Immigration authorities conducted the 23^rd round of invitations under Express Entry, inviting 1503 applicants for permanent residence.  The lowest Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score was 460. It was the fourteenth successive draw under the Express Entry System with a CRS score under 600 and the eighteenth draw where the lowest CRS score was under 600.

Express Entry is an immigration system implemented by Canadian immigration authorities (“CIC”) on January 1, 2015 which manages skilled worker applications under Federal Economic programs. This includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Skilled Trades Program the Canada Experience Class and certain parts of the Provincial Nominee Program.

Through December 18th 2015, CIC conducted 23 draws, issuing 31,018 invitations to apply for permanent residence.

Stakeholders expect to see future declines in the CRS score to enable Canadian immigration authorities to meet targeted annual immigration levels.  Annual immigration levels for 2016 are expected to be released in the near future.

Read our Express Entry Year-End report, here.

What this means for employers

Employers are encouraged to consider securing an LMIA or nomination under provincial nomination programs (PNP’s) to ensure long term retention of employees.

We provide Canadian employers with unparalleled immigration legal services and recruitment of foreign nationals through our in-house enterprise Global Recruiters of Montreal (www.grnmontreal.com). We bring approved candidates to Canada in the shortest time possible. Employers in a wide range of industries can directly benefit from our unique position as one of Canada’s leading online immigration firms in the industry to meet both their recruitment and immigration requirements.

Interested employers wishing to seek our assistance are invited to contact us here for further information.

What this means for candidates

It is expected that the majority of applicants to be issued (ITA’s) under Canada’s Express Entry Immigration system in 2015 and 2016 will require a CRS score of well below 600 points, enabling a growing number of applicants to receive permanent admission to Canada without a job offer or nomination under a provincial immigration program.

Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with your evaluation results within 1-2 business days.

Resources:

• Immigration.ca News Articles – A daily news source outlining the latest developments in immigration, employment and the economy with commentaries by Attorney Colin Singer.
• At Global Recruiters of Montreal we are dedicated to developing long-term strategic alliances with client companies and candidates alike.  We strictly adhere to our guiding principles of honesty, integrity and confidentiality.

Colin R. Singer is immigration counsel for www.immigration.ca and Managing Partner of Global Recruiters of Montreal. He is one of Canada’s foremost senior corporate immigration attorneys. Colin is internationally recognized as an experienced and recommended authority on Canadian immigration and foreign recruitment. In addition to being licensed human resources professional, he is a licensed Canadian lawyer in good standing with the Quebec Law Society for more than 25 years and is authorized by the Canadian government in all immigration matters.