A new Canadian holds a flag at a citizenship ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 17, 2019.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The immigration ministry is proposing major changes to the way economic immigrants are selected. The reforms would give a much needed boost to Canada’s economy – provided Ottawa doesn’t continue to override the system by giving priority to niche groups of applicants.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is currently consulting with stakeholders about changes to Express Entry, the system used to select economic immigrants for permanent residency. A document shared with immigration consultants and lawyers suggests merging the three programs in Express Entry – the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and Canadian Experience Class – into a single program for high-skilled workers. It also lays out plans to recalibrate the points system, which measures candidates against each other, to achieve greater economic benefits for Canada.
Both applicants and IRCC staff would benefit from simplifying the system, which is bewilderingly complex. A new program would reduce some duplication and would standardize education and language requirements.
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The proposal says points would be given for job offers or Canadian work experience for people in high-wage occupations. This is a significant change that economists would applaud. Increases in low-skilled immigrants (such as many of the temporary workers who came to Canada in recent years) tend to pull down average earnings and GDP per capita.
The proposal also outlines plans to remove points for factors that have been shown not to boost economic outcomes, such as having a sibling in Canada or having studied here. Limiting the advantage for Canadian education is a sensible measure, given the overuse of this pathway as a side door to permanent residency in recent years.
A reformed points system is needed, but it must be used properly. Unfortunately, in the last few years, various immigration ministers have given priority to carve-out programs and categories when selecting economic immigrants. This means that instead of picking the best applicants, they select the best-scoring applicants in, for example, certain trades occupations, or those who speak French and want to live outside of Quebec. Speaking French is a good thing to reward – but points are already given for speaking official languages.
In fact, there hasn’t been a general round of invitations since April, 2024. Picking candidates with lower scores means they are less likely to succeed economically. (Reforms would still improve the quality of applicants inside these categories, but category rounds still override the system of picking top-scoring candidates.)
Some category-based rounds to fill very specific needs, such as for doctors, make sense, but Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab shouldn’t cater to every whim. A recent announcement to prioritize pilots, aircraft mechanics and foreign military recruits might sound sensible, but it further complicates the system and muddies its goals.
With a reformed points system, there should be no further need for rounds specifically for temporary residents with Canadian experience. The new system would give them an edge anyway if they are in high earning fields or hold “Red Seal” skilled trades certifications. If Canada is truly trying to attract the best talent in the world, something the Liberal government frequently claims, it should not give temporary residents any additional credit for simply being here.
Last year, it was difficult for economic immigrants outside the country to obtain permanent residency, unless they spoke French or were in health care. Canada should certainly invite qualified temporary residents to stay, but temporary status shouldn’t be a mandatory stop in a two-step process.
If Ottawa is serious about using immigration to grow the economy, decisions shouldn’t be made on a minister’s whim or under pressure from lobby groups seeking to fill short-term labour gaps. Canada’s points-based system served us well for years before changes under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau damaged it.
These proposed reforms are a step in the right direction. While enacting them, the government should get rid of category selections, and use general rounds to pick economic immigrants. This will get Canada back to a system that truly selects the best talent in the world.