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14-Nov-2016

CANADA PLANNING FOR IMPORTANT CHANGES TO COMPREHENSIVE RANKING SYSTEM - CRS FOR EOI SYSTEM

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) for Express Entry immigration selection system has been revamped by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - IRCC.   The new guidelines with changes in online EOI System as announced by Federal government of Canada will be applicable as of 19th November 2016.  The changes will have major influence on  three major programs managed through Express Entry – Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class.

CHANGES TO JOB OFFERS:

A) The Senior level managerial positions which are listed in the Major Group 00 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) will carry 200 points for a qualifying job offer.  Example: if an applicant has a job offer in one of the following occupation titles, the applicant can claim 200 points while submitting the Expression of Interest (EOI) application. 

• Legislators (NOC 0011)
• Senior government managers and officials (0012)
• Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services (0013)
• Senior managers – health, education, social and community services and membership organizations (0014)
• Senior managers – trade, broadcasting and other services, n.e.c (0015)
• Senior managers – construction, transportation, production and utilities (0016)

B) An applicant with a job offer of arranged employment in any other occupation can claim only 50 points.

The old procedure enabled applicants with qualifying jobs in any one of the occupations in the National Occupation Code - NOC that were approved by Labour Market Impact Assessment - LMIA to claim 600 points for submitting an EOI application. 

Now, with effect from 19th November 2016, applicants will be awarded either 200 or 50 points without the requirement to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment - LMIA and applicants with a new or existing LMIA can still be awarded points.

The new guidelines also let the following applicants to be awarded points for a qualifying job offer:

• Applicants with a work permit issued under an international agreement, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement  - NAFTA.
• Applicants with a work permit issued under the ‘significant benefits to Canada’ criteria, such as Intra-Company Transfers.

An additional requirement for the above two category applicants is that the applicant on must have been working in Canada for at least one year and the job offer must be made by the same employer mentioned on the job offer.

Applicants who are already working in Canada  in one of the following visa status may be able to obtain points for a job offer without the need to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment - LMIA are: 

• NAFTA /  Intra-Company Transfer /  Labour Market Impact Assessment-based Work Permits / Canada-Provincial/Territorial issued Work Permits / Canada-Provincial/Territorial issued Work Permits. 
• This does not apply to the applicants with Post-Graduation Work Permits / International Experience Canada (IEC) / Work Permits issued to Spouses/Common-Law Partners of foreign workers and international students in Canada / All other Open Work Permits.

 

POINTS FOR CANADIAN STUDY: 

The new CRS will be awarding points for a Canadian educational qualification.  The qualification and the points awarded are as follows:

• 0 points: A secondary school educational credential

• 15 points: An eligible credential from a one-year or two-year post-secondary program

• 30 points: A post-secondary program of three years or more (OR) An University-level program at the master’s level or at the level of an entry-to-practice professional degree for an occupation listed in the National Occupational Classification matrix at Skill Level A for which licensing by a provincial regulatory body is required (OR) An University-level program at the doctoral level.

Please note the points are only allocated for Canadian study experience if any one of the following reasons is met by the applicant:

•    studied in Canada at a Canadian educational institution;
•    was enrolled in full-time study or training for at least eight months; and
•    was physically present in Canada for at least eight months.

Additional points are not awarded in the existing CRS for applicants who are international students/graduates who had completed a study program in Canada. The changes reflect the government’s goal of providing simpler pathways to permanent residents to international students and graduates in Canada.

 

VALIDITY OF INVITATION TO APPLY - ITA EXTENDED TO 90 DAYS:

Applicants who lodge their Expression of Interest and receive an Invitation To Apply - ITA are given additional time to submit a complete application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - IRCC. Before this applicants were given 60 days to submit their complete application to IRCC after the are invited to lodge an application.

 

THE IMPLICATIONS FOR CANDIDATES IN THE EOI POOL:  

The Express Entry pool is a competitive system, where applicants are ranked based on the points they score against each other.  The applicants  with higher points are in a better position to be invited. As per the new changes effective from 19th November 2016 the value of a job offer for EOI will decrease from 600 points to either 200 or 50 points depending on the occupation title.

Effective from 19th November 2016, IRCC may automatically implement these changes for profiles already in the Express Entry pool. In many cases, applicants may notice that the number of Comprehensive Ranking System - CRS points awarded to their application has not gone up.

However it may become more competitive for applicants lodged their application without a job offer. Since the points score for applicants with Labour Market Impact Assessment – LMIA based job offers will also drop by up to 550 points.

Therefore, from the recent changes advised  by Comprehensive Ranking System - CRS could majorly change the overall points  from the pool and the rate for an applicants based  with a job offer who go on to receive an Invitation To Apply - ITA.  While the applicants  with a job offer will remain to be awarded a significant number of points  - 50 or 200, depending on the position and the applicant without a job offer may see their chances of success increasing.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - IRCC report for 2015 under Express Entry had released previous this year, shows that 31,063 Invitation To Apply – ITA issued last year were 14,465 (46.6%) of those were issued to applicants with job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment – LMIA.

 

THE MOST VALUABLE FACTOR TO QUALIFY UNDER PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAMS - PNPS:

Now it is well-known that applicants  who gain an enhancement through the nomination certificate through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) category will be awarded 600 points. Moreover, applicants should be aware that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - IRCC lately released Immigration Plan for 2017 states  that the government of Canada intends to welcome around 51,000 new immigrants through the PNPs next year.   This is a seven percent increase on the target for 2016. With more enhanced Provincial Nominee Programs – PNP categories will open and change over time processing of an application. It is also advised that every applicant possibly should be aware and stay updated on the Immigration program.

Applicants can apply under Express Entry system which includes: The Federal Skilled Worker Program, The Federal Skilled Trades Program and The Canadian Experience Class and obtain their family visas provided they have the pass mark.

Applicants need to assess their eligibility before they can proceed in lodging a Express Entry application. All applicants must meet minimum language requirements in either English or French and also have their qualification assessed with ECA (Educational Credential Assessment).

Applicants can find out if they are eligible for any of the Canadian immigration programs, including the federal economic programs that are processed under Express Entry, please forward us your detailed resume for yourself and your spouse to assess.

Bilimoria & Associate is specialised in Immigration visas to Canada with over 20 years of experience and will be able to guide applicants to lodge different visa applications based on their eligibility. Bilimoria & Associate liaisons with Member of Law Society of Upper Canada and Canadian Bar Association (Immigration section) (CPTLS). We can assist you with preparing a successful visa application to Canada.

Applicants can forward their resume to assess their eligibility under Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and Canadian Experience Class or Provincial Nominee Program and be successful in obtaining a family Immigration visa.

You can write to us to assess your eligibility at:  neville@bilimoriaassociate.com   (or) contact us at +91 44 2822 7222 / 2823 9229 / 4350 8191 to guide you and assist you in your visa application to Canada.

 

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