Canada tightens immigration rules, announces new curbs for seeking permanent residency
SJ Singh/ Diaspora Correspondent / December 18,2024
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.
Temporary foreign workers who apply to become permanent residents through Canada’s immigration system will no longer get additional points if they have a job offer that’s supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), Immigration Minister Marc Miller said on Tuesday.
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.
The move will reduce fraudulent activities in Canada’s Express Entry System, which is an online platform that manages the country’s skilled immigration programs, the minister said at a press conference.
Canada tightens immigration rules, announces new curbs for seeking permanent residency. It is unclear when this change will come into effect.
As of December 18, the government’s online points calculator still awards 50 points for having a valid job offer.
The latest move seems to be a continuation of the steps taken by the federal government to reduce the number of newcomers entering the country amidst rising unemployment and a housing crisis.
LMIA fraud has been a topic of discussion in Canada over recent months as the government has sought to curb immigration and clean up the system. There have been multiple anecdotal reports of unscrupulous immigration agents working with employers to generate LMIAs
Employers can use Canada’s temporary foreign worker program to hire foreign workers, but they often need to prove that they aren’t able to find a worker for that specific position in Canada. In order to do that, they must receive a federal government document called the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
