The Ministerial Instructions (MIs) for the Express Entry Application Management System
The immigration authorities would govern the Express Entry application management system on the basis of the Ministerial Instructions (MIs) issued. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) authorises these instructions, which include provisions that authorise the Minister to issue instructions that manage most features of the Express Entry system.
The Express Entry Ministerial Instructions (MIs) typically include:
- The economic immigration programs included in Express Entry and their associated eligibility criteria
- The electronic submission process that a candidate would need to complete for submitting an Express Entry profile and any associated exemptions
- The manner in which the system would rank candidates in the Express Entry pool
- Information on Invitation to Apply (ITA) draws
- Time limits for the maximum amount of time that a candidate can be in the Express Entry pool
- Time limits for the maximum amount of time that a candidate has for submitting an application for permanent residence upon receiving an invitation
- Candidate information that the officers could share with third parties (including with other government departments) and,
- The manner in which the system would notify candidates about any matter that concerns their expression of interest
The authorities will need to publish all Ministerial Instructions (MIs) related to Express Entry on the website of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). This is in accordance with the provisions specified in subsection 10.3 (4) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). In addition, the authorities would also need to publish some Ministerial Instructions (MIs) in the Canada Gazette.
These Ministerial Instructions (MIs) came into effect on January 01, 2015. To go through the entire package of Ministerial Instructions (MIs), readers would need to go through the Canada Gazette or the website of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).