English 
Français 
Español 
العربية 
Português 
Русский Express Entry Immigration System Details Revealed
 |
A new express entry canada immigration system will give skilled immigrants express entry into Canada. Under the new system, those immigrants with a higher demand will be inside Canada within six months. Beginning on Jan. 1, skilled immigrants will be matched with vacant jobs where no Canadian workers are available. Only the candidates with the most points will be offered permanent residency. A maximum of 600 points will be given to skilled immigrants who receive a permanent job offer from a Canadian employer or who have been nominated for immigration by a province or territory.
Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said these are the ones that will be “picked first”. He also noted the “first draw” for permanent residency applications is scheduled for the last week of January.
Skilled immigrants will receive up to 1,200 points based on factors in two major categories with no minimum level of points is needed to qualify:
- A maximum of 500 points will be allotted for “core human capital factors” such as age, education level, language proficiency and work experience in Canada.
- A maximum of 100 points will be assigned for “skill transferability factors,” such as education level, foreign work experience and a certificate in the trades.
Candidates who have a permanent job offer from a Canadian employer or those who have been nominated for immigration by a ministry or province will qualify for a maximum of 600 points, and would likely have an advantage of being “picked first” over other applicants.
Under express entry the government will control applications instead of processing applications on a first-come, first-served basis — as is the case now. Critics are concerned with the lack of openness, transparency, oversight or accountability.
Employers appear supportive of the new system, but are not clear on how skilled immigrants will be matched with available jobs in Canada.
According to the government, approximately 65,000 to 75,000 skilled workers will be offered permanent residency in 2015 under one of three categories:
- 47,000 to 51,000 will come through the federal skilled worker class and the federal skilled trade’s class.
- 21,000 to 23,000 skilled workers through the Canadian experience class.
- An additional 46,000 to 48,000 skilled workers will receive permanent residency through the provincial nominee program under express entry.
Successful applicants must also undergo health exams and security checks and will be required to show proof of funds available to support themselves and their family.
A few examples of how prospective candidates might be ranked under the new express entry system are given below:
Case 1: 32-year-old IT programmer without a spouse
Age: 94 points
Full proficiency in English: up to 136 points
Proficiency in French: 0 points
Post-secondary program credential of three years or longer: 120 points
Transferable skills: up to 100 points
Canadian work experience: 0 points
Sub-total: up to 450 out of 600 points
Additional 600 points for a nomination from a ministry or province or for a permanent job offer
Total: up to 1,050 points.
Case 2: 27-year-old IT engineer and designer without a spouse
Age: 110 points
Proficiency in either English or French: up to 136 points
Proficiency in a second official language: up to 24 points
Equivalent of a Master’s degree: 135 points
Transferable skills: up to 100 points
Canadian work experience: up to 80 points
Sub-total: up to 585 out of 600 points.
No permanent job offer or a nomination from a province or territory: 0 points.
Total: up to 585 points.
Case 3: 45-year-old financial analyst with a spouse
Age: 0 points.
Proficiency in either English or French: up to 128 points.
Proficiency in a second official language: up to 22 points.
Equivalent of an undergraduate university degree: 120 points
Transferable skills: up to 100 points.
Canadian work experience: up to 70 points.
Spouse factors: up to 40 points.
Sub-total: up to 480 points out of 600 points.
Additional 600 points for a permanent job offer or a nomination from a province or territory.
Total: up to 1,080 points.
Attorney Colin Singer Commentary:
The Federal Skilled Worker Program will continue to represent the largest number of Economic Class immigrants to Canada with most being selected under the human capital contribution assessment approach.
Employers with pressing hiring needs will unlikely wait a period of 6 months or longer for a candidate to begin employment. The Canada Job Bank under the new Express Entry system may become a marginal or secondary source of potential candidates for recruiters. At best, this could account for a modest number of applicants selected by employers under the new system.
Express Entry will succeed to the extent that the inventory of potential candidates and the processing of applications for permanent residence by the Canadian government will be easier to manage than previously.
Source: CBC
- Published in December
Canada’s New “Express Entry” Immigration System
|
The Canadian Government will launch its new Express Entry Immigration System on January 1, 2015. Immigration Lawyer Colin Singer, Managing Partner of Immigration.ca and Global Recruiters of Montreal (www.grnmontreal.com), shares insight into what potential immigrants and Canadian employers can expect.
How do you anticipate Express Entry will operate?
The Federal Skilled Worker Program, FSWP the largest component of Canada’s Economic Class previously functioned under a first in/first out, point based system that attempted to measure the potential “human capital” contribution of an immigrant to Canada.
Under the new Express Entry system, Canada’s Immigration Minister will promote an Employer Driven selection model by taking on a matching, facilitator approach to recruitment. Canada’s immigration department will become an online electronic interface between foreign national applicants and potential hiring employers in Canada.
Under Express Entry, qualified applicants across many occupations will be invited to submit their profile to an Express Entry Pool and to the Canada Job Bank.
Employers will be encouraged to review candidates with the highest ranking 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” will be 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. This will take place across applicable economic class programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Skilled Trades Program the Canada Experience Class and other programs.
The 10 provinces and territories will retain autonomy to continue selecting immigrants under their immigration programs.
How long will this process take?
Applicants who are invited to apply for permanent residence will have 60-days to submit a full application. The government promises a selection decision in 6-months or less in most cases.
Applicants who receive a selection decision will then undergo medical and security formalities which could take another 6 months to conclude after a positive decision. Overall processing time will likely range 6-12 months for the majority of applicants.
Under Express Entry, will applicants be dependent on a job offer from a “sponsor” Canadian employer?
Annual levels for 2015 have been raised to between 260,000 – 285,000 which will represent Canada’s highest immigration levels in 5 years. From this level approximately 170,000 will comprise Economic Class immigrants and their dependants. A qualified job offer from an employer in Canada is a significant benefit but is not a requirement. The numbers of applicants who are expected to succeed in securing an approved job offer under Express Entry will likely be modest.
Will the Federal Skilled Worker Program continue under Express Entry?
The FSWP will continue to comprise the largest number of admissions to Canada.
Will Express Entry succeed?
As immigration lawyers and professionally licensed recruiters on behalf of Canadian employers, we believe that most small and mid-sized employers will be reluctant to take on the task of direct recruitment. Many employers will continue to rely on the services of skilled recruiters.
Employers with pressing hiring needs will unlikely wait a period of 6 months or longer for a candidate to begin employment.
The Canada Job Bank under the new Express Entry system may become a marginal or secondary source of potential candidates for recruiters. At best, this could account for a modest number of applicants selected by employers under the new system.
However for the remaining candidates without a job offer from a Canadian employer, immigration authorities will invite the highest ranked candidates to apply for permanent residence under the Federal Skilled Worker Program and other federal programs.
The Federal Skilled Worker Program will continue to represent the largest number of Economic Class immigrants to Canada with most being selected under the human capital contribution assessment approach.
Express Entry will succeed to the extent that the inventory of potential candidates and the processing of applications for permanent residence by the Canadian government will be easier to manage than previously.
How is immigration.ca positioned for Canada’s new Express Entry Immigration System?
We strongly believe that employment recruitment and individualized search consulting assistance is an important consideration for all immigrant applicants to Canada. 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. For the past 7 years we have provided all our immigration clients with invaluable, search consulting services from our in-house trained recruiters. We believe our clients have the best chances to succeed in their immigration projects under the new Express Entry Immigration to Canada.
- Published in November
Employers Apprehensive About Express Entry Immigration System
Ahead of launching the express entry immigration program on January 1st 2015, the federal government has been consulting with a nine-member group that represents some of Canada’s biggest employers. Two of these members have expressed concerns over the new system and say that they will ‘wait and watch’ how it will unfold.
According to the Canada Gazette, the nine-member group was formed in 2013 to provide the government with information and feedback on the development of the new express entry system. The nine member group consists of the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses, the Canadian Construction Association, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Information and Communication Technology Council, Canadian Restaurants and Food Services Association, The Immigrant Employment Council of B.C., Irving Shipbuilding, Oil Sands producer Syncrude Canada, and Hylife Ltd.
The new express entry system allows skilled immigrants to apply online for jobs in 50 occupations after which they will be matched based on “scores that reflect their human capital and ability to succeed in the Canadian economy”. The best-matched candidates with the highest rankings will then be allowed to apply for permanent residency in Canada. The entire application process will be strictly online, though paper applications will be accepted from people with disabilities. All applications will be processed within six months.
It has been estimated that in 2015 about 260,000 to 285,000 new permanent residents will arrive in Canada under this system, and that the online application system will cost the government $6.7 million over a period of ten years.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce showed its support for the new system, saying that it helps filling up vacancies for which there are no Canadian applicants.
However, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) does not seem too happy with the changes. Their main concern is over tightening of rules for the temporary foreign workers. “That is our criticism of the express entry system, that it still prohibits lower-skilled workers from coming to Canada and taking the jobs that are going begging in our economy. Decades ago, when many of our ancestors came to Canada, they didn’t come to Canada to take jobs in a lab. They came to work on a farm,” said Dan Kelly, CEO of CFIB.
The CFIB, which represents 109,000 small businesses, is also unsure about how the system will work. While employers have been briefed about the new online system by the government, it still remains to be seen how efficient the matching of skilled workers with vacancies is going to be. “The reality is, until we actually have employers experiencing the process, we don’t really know — and neither does the government — how well it will work,” says Anson-Cartwright of CFIB.
The apprehension stems from the fact that employers are not allowed the same “privileged access” to the online system that the local governments have. The employers have to simply rely on the government to provide them with suitable matches as they cannot themselves search the express entry pool. “You’d rather see more detail and have a chance to make your own assessment, rather than waiting on individuals to pop up through virtue of how they’ve designed the job system,” says Anson-Cartwright.
Source: cbc.ca News
- Published in November
