From March 25, no candidate will get an alternative score for a job offer in Canada’s Express Entry system. This alteration maintains compliance with Canada’s 2025-2027 immigration plan as per genuine applicants and TR to PR candidates being priorities.
Though announced, the change is happening now. No candidate under Express Entry will be legitimately entertained with extra CRS points for job offers on their applications. The change was initially proposed by then-Minister for Immigration Marc Miller in December. Now, a ministerial instruction has officially been put in place to end job-offer-based points boost!
Major Changes to Points System under Express Entry
The CRS will no longer award any points for having a valid job offer. Prior to this, those with a job offer backed by the Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) could earn 200 or 50 extra points. These extra points would have meant markedly higher gains in the global CRS score, boosting the probability of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency.
A limit is set preventing those who have already received invitations or have ongoing permanent residency applications from being affected by the overhaul; however, the CRS scores of already existing cases in the Express Entry pool will be recalibrated to reflect the same.
Respect for Job Offers
Despite the removal of job offer points, the requirement for an exhibitable job offer is still a criterion that must be satisfied by various streams under Express Entry. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) advises that candidates shall continue to mention all job offers in their applications.
The most significant thing about getting rid of job offer points is the blanketing of ineligible applicants who employ all sorts of fraud activities, such as the trafficking of LMIAs, so as to inflate their rank artificially. Since the government wants to grant permanent residency only to legitimate candidates, the removal of these points will mean a fair distribution.
Understand the CRS Scoring Scheme
It is the CRS score that determines where candidates lie between 1 and 1,200 points. This CRS score is arrived at through two main components:
- The so-called core score can wake up to 600 points, given that an aspirant can earn towards any of various factors like age, education, language skill, and work experience;
- The score can gain 600 more points upon parameters like a nomination from a province, education attained from Canada, proficiency in one of the official languages of French, or having a sibling in Canada. Earlier, a valid job offer would have merited those points; now, however, no longer.
Candidates are placed in the pool for Express Entry and ranked based on their CRS scores. Periodic draws are held to decide which candidates shall receive an invitation to apply for permanent residency.
Age is Key
With respect to the CRS, age is crucial. Younger age earns the highest points, with classes like:
- Ontario Express Entry is one of the popular choices for individuals aged 20-29, who can gain a maximum of 110 points if they are applying under the main application or 100 for principal and spouse.
- No more points are counted once a person reaches age 45.
Under the previous program, a substantial boost would have been earned by applicants in their 40s and up with a qualified job offer or LMIA-backed employment; this offset the decrement of age-related points.
Effects on the Canada Immigration Plan
Towards 2025-2027 Canada Immigration Plan lies the quick conversion of temporary workers to permanent residents especially in demand-led sectors. The new entry will, for instance, decrease the potential accommodation and labor concerns a great deal. With the plan anticipating a minimum of 40% of new immigrants to come from temporary residents, Canadian Experience Class application and French speakers may view booking potential opportunities.
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will assume a bigger role as 55,000 nominee targets from 2025 through the next three years. With a provincial nomination, 600 points get rewarded during Express Entry draws, offering an optimizing substitute to improve CRS scores for applicants.
India Leads in Express Entry Applications
India stands at the top, continuing the lead position for the Express Entry applicants. In 2023, a total of about 52,100 Indians got invites to apply for permanent residency, forming 47% of the total anyone received.
Elimination of points provided for job offers by the Express Entry system will correctly prioritize skilled and qualified individuals over others, helping Canada maintain the fairness and integrity of its immigration process with employment needs.
