Jan 11, 2018 – Newly-released data from the Canadian immigration department shows how changes made to the Canada Express Entry System in November 2016, impacted on the composition of Invitations to Apply.
The extensive breakdown from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (ICCRC), focuses on the six months immediately after the changes were made, between November 19, 2016 and May 31, 2017.
It shows that candidates with a job offer have been pushed into an exclusive club, receiving 10 per cent of Invitations to Apply after the changes, compared with 38 per cent before.
The changes were designed to focus the selection system more on candidates with core economic credentials, including ties to Canada, that would see them have long-term success in Canada.
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Under the new rules, the number of points for a job offer was reduced from 600, to 200 or 50, depending on the National Occupational Classification of the position being offered. Only senior managers, or NOC 00, received the maximum 200 points, while all other job offers scored 50 points.
The statistics released by the IRCC show how changes to the CRS points allocation, shifted the number of ITA’s from candidates with a job offer, towards those with better core economic credentials, such as age, language ability, education and work experience as well as periods of prior study and work in Canada.
Of the 28,409 ITAs issued before November 2016, 10,795 (or 38%) of candidates had a job offer worth 600 points. However, between November 2016 and May 2017, of the 48,098 ITAs issued, only 5,151 (or 10%) had job offers. Of those 5,151, only 333 candidates had a job offer worth 200 points, with the remainder scoring 50 points for their offer of employment.
Despite the reduction in ITAs for job offer candidates shown in the statistics, securing an offer of employment is still the most effective way to substantially increase a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. Improving core factors such as language, education or work experience cannot be achieved overnight. However, with the right guidance a job offer is achievable, and can make an important difference between whether a candidate receives a coveted ITA.
Further changes saw new points introduced for candidates with a Canadian education, as follows:
Education Level | Number of Points |
High school | 0 |
One or two-year post-secondary | 15 |
Three-year post-secondary, master’s, professional degree or doctorate | 30 |
These changes were specifically aimed at helping international students attending Canadian institutions achieved permanent residency. The federal government sees international students as key immigration candidates, given their age, education, links to Canada and knowledge of the two official languages.
Although a comparison with before November 2016 is not possible for the Canadian education points, the post-November 2016 show a number of candidates have been taking advantage of the newly-available points.
Of the 53,249 ITAs issued between November 2016 and May 2017, 16,778 (or 32%) of them were to candidates with Canadian education credentials. This means a third of candidates invited under Express Entry now have at least two years of Canadian post-secondary education, which is a significant proportion.
The 16,778 candidates were split roughly 50-50 between those with credentials worth 30 points, and those with credentials worth 15 points.
Note: Data for pre-November 2016 not available as not collected
The additional points for education added in November 2016 came on top of the points already available for education.
Canada places education front and centre when considering an immigration application, with points available from high school graduates up to those with doctorates for main candidates and spouses.
For credentials obtained outside Canada, it is important to get an official Educational Credential Assessment, so that your credential meets Canadian standards.
A high school diploma gives a candidate 30 Comprehensive Ranking System points towards their total Express Entry score, with a degree course of three years or more scoring 120 points. Those with doctorates score 150.
An important element of Express Entry is that a candidate can increase their score with a pending profile in the pool. An applicant who is working towards a degree, can add points for this credential when it is completed.
It is also possible to strategically plan education based on the points available. If a candidate’s other core factors such as age and work experience do not give enough CRS points, it is worth considering another year of educational to strengthen the application.
Standard Express Entry Points for Education
With spouse | Single | |
Secondary school (high school) credential | 28 | 30 |
1-year post-secondary program credential | 84 | 90 |
2-year post-secondary program credential | 91 | 98 |
≥3-year post-secondary program credential | 112 | 120 |
≥2 post-secondary program credentials (one being at least 3 years) | 119 | 128 |
Master’s OR Entry-to-practice professional degree | 126 | 135 |
Doctorate | 140 | 150 |
Further Changes Made in June 2017
ITA trends are set to be impacted further by a second set of changes to the CRS made in June 2017, that saw extra points introduced for strong French language skills and for having a sibling in Canada.
It remains to be seen how this wave of changes will impact the ITA statistics, although it is apparent from the latest set of data how even small alterations in CRS points can have an impact on who receives an ITA.
The changes were again aimed at reducing the integration period for new immigrants. By targeting candidates with stronger language skills, family, study, or working ties in Canada IRCC is theorizing that newcomers will be able to establish themselves more quickly.
Summary: June 2017 Changes
- More points for French language
Candidates score 15 additional points for a level 7 in listening, speaking, reading and writing in the Niveau de Competence Liguistique Canadiens (NLC) combined with an English score of 4 or below in the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB). Those points rise to 30 if the French level 7 is combined with an English level 5 or above.
The extra points are in addition to the existing language points. Up to 136 points can be awarded for a candidate’s first official language, and 24 points for the second.
- New points for having a sibling in Canada
Candidates with a sibling living in Canada are awarded 15 extra points. The sibling must be age 18 or older and be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. They must share a mother or father with the principal candidate or their spouse or common-law partner. The relationship can be blood, marriage, common-law or adoption.
Stakeholders will now await information from ICCRC on the ongoing performance of the Express Entry system.
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.
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