Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is trying to guide the country toward a new immigration strategy
It appears that the immigration system still faces serious transformations. Moreover, there is a strong feeling that the new Express Entry system will also undergo changes in the near future.
Plans and Results
The start of 2015 for the introduction of the new Express Entry selection system, and indeed for the presentation of the new immigration strategy, was not chosen by chance – it is the year of the next federal elections, when it will be decided whether Harper's government remains in power and can maintain its majority in parliament.
Recall that preparations for the introduction of the new immigrant selection system have been underway for several years. It has been stated more than once that the Conservatives and Harper personally have ambitious plans to 'reformat' Canada. These plans included changing the entire immigration strategy.
In particular, the first mentions of a new selection system for skilled workers were made as early as February 2011. Even earlier, experiments began by Mr. Jason Kenney, then Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, with the introduction of a simplified application procedure for the Skilled Worker program, the introduction of a list of in-demand occupations, etc. It is worth noting that all these innovations not only failed to improve Canada's immigration system but also caused it significant reputational damage.
And so 2015, an extremely important year for the Conservative government when it needs to present the results of its work, has arrived. What do we have in the end?
Business immigration at the federal level is effectively closed. The Start-Up Visa and IIVCPP programs can be disregarded – only a handful of people can go through them, and there are no other programs.
The issue with Quebec's immigration system has not been resolved; it continues to exist autonomously from the federal immigration system. It looks roughly like the federal government is building a high, impenetrable wall with a complex pass system, while at the same time leaving a huge gap through which crowds pour in bypassing the main gate.
In other words, there is not much to boast about. All that remains is the widely touted Express Entry selection system.
What this system actually is became known only a month ago. On December 1, 2014, the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration published the application procedure for this system and provided an explanation of the selection criteria.
However, at that time it was not clear what the pass requirements for the federal economic stream immigration programs, primarily the Federal Skilled Worker Class, would be. Now such clarity has arrived. And immediately a question arose: why is the Express Entry system even needed?
The Special Place of the Federal Skilled Worker Class Program
Why did I particularly highlight the FSWP program? First, because it was precisely this program that necessitated a review of the applicant selection system. It was the ineffectiveness of this system that the Conservatives emphasized when talking about the need to develop new immigrant selection criteria. Additionally, the processing time for applications submitted under this program stretched over years. This happened primarily due to the significant excess of applications compared to the annual quotas for the number of immigration visas issued under this program. Ultimately, after many years of experimentation with this program, it remained practically unchanged – the same as it was ten years ago. Even the passing score has been left the same.
Second, the selection criteria for the Express Entry system published on December 1, 2014, completely did not match the selection requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker Class program. They are aimed at a completely different category of immigrants unrelated to the FSWP program.
It was logical to assume that from January 1, 2015, the selection requirements of the FSWP program would change, being reduced to a minimum, as done in the Canadian Experience Class program, given that points-based selection criteria under the Express Entry system have been introduced.
However, this did not happen. All selection requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker Class program remained the same, with one small exception – the requirements for the parameter of Adaptability changed slightly. But overall, the program underwent no changes, including the need to score a passing 67 points.
As a result, a system devoid of logic was created. At least, it is still not entirely clear how this system will work.
How Applications Are Submitted
Applications are submitted electronically and consist of creating an individual Express Entry Profile in the unified database of the Canadian immigration system, the Express Entry Pool. During the process of filling out the questionnaire on the CIC website, the system determines whether you meet the requirements of one of the federal economic stream immigration programs.
In particular, if you apply under the Federal Skilled Worker Class program, you must score the required 67 points according to that program's selection parameters before you are allowed to create your profile.
But here is where the most interesting part begins. The Express Entry system has its own selection criteria, which are fundamentally different from the selection criteria of the FSWP program. This is effectively a second round of selection, where those who score the necessary 67 points for the FSWP program are then subjected to selection based on completely different parameters. Those who pass through this second-stage sieve receive an invitation to submit documents for review by immigration authorities.
Read the continuation of the article:
On Canada's New Immigration Strategy (Part 2)
Elena Ryabinina.
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