How does removing LMIA-based job offer CRS points impact Express Entry candidates?

On Tuesday 17 December, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that Express Entry candidates will no longer receive extra points for having a job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Prior to this change, a candidate with a valid job offer could receive an additional 50 points or an additional 200 points in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

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The additional points gained from a valid job offer provided a significant advantage to these candidates, as a higher CRS score makes a candidate more likely to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for PR through the Express Entry system.

CIC News expects the removal of additional points for a valid job offer to have a significant impact on the distribution of CRS scores in the Express Entry pool, which will impact cut-off scores for Express Entry draws, and which candidates receive ITAs through the Express Entry system.

Aside from having said that additional points for job offers would be eliminated, Miller did not provide specific details on the full changes to the CRS. At this time, we do not know precisely how CRS scoring will work after these changes have been implemented.

Can I still receive points under CRS for having arranged employment?

Prior to the recently announced change, Canada’s Express Entry system awarded additional points for having arranged employment.

This applied to anyone applying under

• The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP);
• The Canadian Experience Class (CEC); or
• The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

To be eligible for CRS points under “arranged employment,” applicants must have had a valid job offer from a Canadian employer.

To qualify as a “valid job offer” under the Express Entry system, the job offer had to meet several specific conditions, including falling under one of three scenarios. Two of these three scenarios required LMIA-based jobs.

In the announcement on Tuesday, Miller said that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) would be doing away with additional points based on job offers.

Miller did not say when these changes would take effect, but said that they would be implemented “as quickly as possible.”

It is not clear whether any existing Express Entry candidates will be able to continue to benefit from additional points for valid job offers for the period before this change takes effect, or whether IRCC will refrain from holding any non-PNP (Provincial Nominee Program) Express Entry draws prior to the implementation of the change.

How will the removal of CRS points for valid job offers affect Express Entry candidates?

Once this change takes effect, candidates with valid job offers can expect to see their CRS scores decrease, reducing their chances of receiving ITAs through Express Entry.

As a corollary, candidates without valid job offers would expect to see their chances of receiving ITAs increase, on account of the lowering of the scores of those with valid job offers.

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For example, let’s take two fictional Express Entry candidate profiles, Isha and Jacob, imagining that Isha has a valid job offer in NOC 1, and Jacob has no valid job offer. Prior to the change, their scores might be as follows:

Isha: 530 points (including 50 for a valid job offer).

Jacob: 490 points.

After the change takes effect, Isha’s score will drop to 480, while Jacob’s will remain at 490.

All other things being equal, Jacob will be more likely to receive an ITA than Isha after the change has taken effect.

We might also expect the CRS cut-off scores for Express Entry draws to decrease, given that all those candidates with valid job offers will have their scores lowered.

What can I do to gain additional CRS points?

Improve language proficiency: If you don’t have the highest possible score on your stronger official language, you can increase your CRS score by improving your proficiency and scoring higher on an approved language test. For example, if you increase your score from CLB 6 to CLB 9, you’d gain over 60 additional points, in the human capitol factors section alone.

Increase your proficiency in your weaker official language: In addition to maximizing your score in your stronger official language, you can gain even more points for proficiency in the other official language. On top of the language scoring category in core human capital, you can also gain and additional 50 points for French language proficiency, so those whose stronger official language is English stand to benefit more from working on their weaker official language.

Get educational credential assessments (ECAs) for all degrees: For any foreign degree to count for immigration purposes, you must have an ECA for that degree. Depending on your situation, you may be able to increase your score by getting ECAs for your additional degrees completed outside Canada.

Obtain a provincial or territorial nomination: Getting a provincial nomination can increase your CRS by 600 points. You might consider researching Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) and pursuing consideration for any program(s) for which you’re eligible.

Get a Canadian degree (if you don’t already have one): On top of the core human capital points you get for education, you can gain 30 additional points for having a Canadian degree.

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