Three steps candidates can take to prepare for the reforms to permanent residence selection through Express Entry

With the federal government currently undergoing a major overhaul of Express Entry, its flagship system for selecting permanent residents, foreign nationals can immediately take action by focusing on skilled work experience, obtaining a certificate of qualification (if applicable), and re-taking an immigration language test. 

Book an immigration language test with CELPIP

Given that the proposed reforms are currently working their way through the consultation phase, there is no guarantee that they will be implemented in the form in which they have shared, nor is there any guaranteed on when.

That said, what the government has shared so far does telegraph some key elements of the reform, along with a timeline of approximately 12–18 months for full implementation, although certain changes, such as candidate scoring under the comprehensive ranking system, may come much sooner, according to government officials.

On the basis of what has been shared so far, here are the things we can reasonably expect about the upcoming Express Entry system, along with what candidates may wish do about the expected changes so as to maximize their chances of being positioned as well as possible to obtain permanent residence under the new regime:

Proposed reform	Potentially beneficial action(s) candidates may take
Standardize work requirement to one year within the past three years.	Ensure that within 12-18 months’ time, you will have at least a year, cumulative, of skilled work experience within the past three years.
Set CLB 6 as minimum language score.	Ensure that you have at least CLB 6 in all four language abilities, in a language test that will be valid at least 18 months from now.
Removal of bonus points for sibling in Canada, Canadian post-secondary credentials, and high-scoring French language proficiency.	Maximize language score in your primary official language on a test that will be valid at least 18 months from now.
“High-wage occupation factor”	Gain work experience in the highest wage occupation you are qualified for, based on the occupation ranking in Canada’s job bank.
Increased recognition for trade qualifications.	Obtain certificate of qualification in a Red-Seal designated trade, if applicable to your occupation.

For many candidates, re-booking a language test is the main step they can take today to prepare, as if we can be confident of anything, it’s that candidates with high-scoring, up-to-date language test results are likely to be best positioned to receive invitations on the launch of the new system.

That’s because, on the basis of what’s been shared so far, we can be confident only of a few things:

• All candidates should be sure to maintain at least a year of cumulative skilled work experience within the past three years.
• All candidates should aim to accumulate work experience in the highest-paying occupation, based on wages in Canada’s job bank, for which they are qualified.
• Tradespeople should aim to have obtained the highest level of certification(s) possible for their trade.
• All candidates should aim to have the maximum possible language scores on valid test results come 12–18 months’ time.

With the vast majority of candidates generally already trying their best to accumulate skilled work experience in the highest paying occupations for which they are qualified, and tradespeople often already actively pursuing qualifications, getting a high score on a recent immigration language test is the main lever that most candidates have to pull.

Book an immigration language test with CELPIP

And language tests are something that candidates can act on today.

Language test results from government approved immigration language test providers are valid for two years, after which they expire

Candidates who study and complete their exams over the next few weeks or months can expect, with a fairly high degree of confidence, that those results will be valid when the Express Entry reforms hit, given the shared timeline of 12-18 months for the reforms.

Having high-scoring, valid language test results is the most actionable thing many candidates can do to position themselves competitively under the as-yet unknown ranking system and eligibility criteria which will define the updated management system.

Candidates with current language tests results from six or more months ago may wish to plan to re-take their language tests, given that an 18-month timeline would put 6+ month old language tests at or near expiry upon the launch of the new system.

If a candidate’s language test results expire before the launch of the new system, their profile will become invalid, and they won’t be able to compete in the initial draws, putting them at risk of missing out on a category-based selection for which they could have been eligible, or on a large initial draw with a low cut-off score.

Even if a candidate’s language tests are at little risk of expiring, re-taking language tests now can provide an immediate benefit.

Language score is the single biggest factor under the current CRS, contributing a total of up to 310 CRS points.

Taking a new language test provides an opportunity to increase CRS score immediately for candidates already in the pool, increasing the chance that they will be selected on every single draw moving forward, and helping to mitigate the risk that their profile will be less competitive after the launch of the new system.

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For candidates with anything less than top-raking language test scores, starting today also gives them more time to study, and increases the chance that they’ll be able to score more highly come test time.

Foreign nationals can’t know what the new Express Entry system will look like, or how competitive their profiles will be under the new regime.

But they can do everything they can to ensure that when the new system drops, they have a valid immigration language test result with the highest score possible.

Book an immigration language test with CELPIP