IRCC to remove LMIA-based job offer points from Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System

Express Entry candidates seeking Canadian permanent residency will soon no longer receive additional points in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) for having an LMIA-based job offer.

Prior to this change, Express Entry candidates could receive an additional 50 or 200 CRS points for having an LMIA-based job offer.

An additional 50 points can easily make the difference between a candidate receiving an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residency, or not being invited at all.

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Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced the change on Tuesday, December 17, in a televised interview.

UPDATE: This change will come into effect in the spring of 2025.

About the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is what the Canadian federal government uses to score Express Entry Candidates.

The higher a candidate's score, the more likely they are to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence through an Express Entry draw.

Once a candidate has created a profile in the Express Entry system, and is eligible for one of the three Express Entry managed immigration programs, the candidate's profile is assigned a score out of 1200 based on a variety of factors, including

• Age;
• Education;
• Language proficiency; and
• Work experience.

The these "core human capital" factors are scored differently, depending on whether the candidate has created the profile as a single candidate, or has created a profile with their spouse included.

Candidate profiles can score a maximum of 600 points in core human capital factors.

Candidates can also score up to 600 additional points on their profiles through

• Having a sibling living in Canada as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• French language skills;
• Post-secondary education in Canada;
• Arranged employment; and
• Provincial/territorial nomination.

The change announced on Tuesday is expected to remove the additional points awarded for arranged employment.

Candidates could receive 50 additional CRS points for arranged employment in any NOC TEER. They would receive 200 additional points for a NOC TEER 0 occupation in major group 00, which includes executive leadership positions in a variety of industries.

Throughout 2024, many Express Entry general and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws had cut-off scores above 500 points.

Only category-based draws frequently had sub-500 CRS cut-offs.

Candidates can get a sense of their likelihood of receiving an ITA by comparing their CRS score to the current score distribution in the rest of the Express Entry pool.

Canada uses the National Occupation Classification (NOC) to categorize occupations. An occupation is defined based on a set of duties and responsibilities, and assigned a unique NOC code.

Based on the level of education and experience typically required, each NOC code is assigned a classification between 0 and 5, with 0 being the highest level of Training Education Experience and Responsibilities (TEER), and 5 being the lowest.

To qualify for Express Entry, a candidate must have an occupation in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3. These TEERs are collectively referred to as "skilled occupations."

About the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is one of the main ways in which Canadian employers can hire foreign nationals on work permits.

In order for a foreign national to work on a TFWP work permit, the employer must have received a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) with a positive or neutral result, indicating that Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) has determined that hiring a foreign worker for that role will not have a negative impact on the Canadian labour market for Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Recent changes to the TFWP

In September of this year, the federal government suspended processing of LMIAs for the low-wage stream of the TFWP.

The government also increased the pay requirements for the high-wage stream, effective November of this year. The high-wage stream now requires that workers hired under the TFWP earn 20% above the median wage for that occupation in that region. Previously, workers under the high-wage stream had to earn only an amount equal to or above the median wage.

These changes to the TFWP play into the government's policy changes on immigration as set out in the latest Immigration Levels Plan. This year's Plan was the first to include targets for temporary resident levels, including for net new TFWP work permits.

The government set the target for net new TFWP work permits for 2025 at 82,000.

Rationale for the changes

“We will be implementing further measures that reinforce the program and reduce the potential for LMIA fraud,” Miller said.

Miller stated that by removing additional points candidates receive under Express Entry for having a job offer, IRCC is working to reduce fraud and strengthen the integrity in Canada’s immigration system.

“[The] measure is expected to remove the incentive for candidates to purchase an LMIA, resulting in increased fairness and integrity in Express Entry,” Miller said.

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