Express Entry Reforms and Early Trends. Steven Owen Employer Liaison Officer November 29, 2017

Transcription

1 Express Entry Reforms and Early Trends Steven Owen Employer Liaison Officer November 29, 2017

2 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Express Entry Pool EXPRESSION OF INTEREST 1. MINIMUM ENTRY CRITERIA 2. COMPREHENSIVE RANKING SYSTEM 3. INVITATION TO APPLY APPLICATION PROCESSING Potential candidates submit an online Express Entry profile. Those who meet the Minimum Entry Criteria (see Annex B) of one of the federal economic immigration programs subject to Express Entry are accepted into the Express Entry pool. Candidates in the pool are assessed and assigned a score according to the Comprehensive Ranking System, a skills based ranking system. Candidates in the pool are ranked against others in the pool according to their score. Candidates with the highest rankings in the pool are invited to apply during rounds of invitations that occur approximately every two weeks.. Not all candidates who successfully enter the Express Entry pool are invited to apply The system actively and purposefully issues invitations only to the candidates who are best positioned for economic success in Canada not the first in line. 2

3 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Developed to reflect factors that are empirically shown to contribute to better wage outcomes for immigrants. A more sophisticated points system which allows for a more nuanced weighting of factors than the Federal Skilled Worker points grid. Provides up to 600 points for factors most closely linked to economic outcomes (immigrant employment earnings) e.g. education, language, work experience. Provides a maximum of 600 points for additional policy considerations, including a provincial nomination, job offer, and other factors. Takes into account the interaction effects of certain factors (e.g. strong language skills and a post-secondary degree). 3

4 Invitation to Apply Rounds Only top ranking candidates are invited to apply. A key part of managing the system is determining the number of Invitations to Apply that will be issued each round, not the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score. There are several key factors that affect the lowest score of a particular round. These include: The size of the round; The number of candidates with bonus points (job offers, PT nominations, students); and The composition of the pool at the time of a particular round. Invitation rounds can be for a specific immigration program (top ranked in that program) or simply the top ranked candidates in the pool overall To date, the Government has conducted one round specific to CEC only, two for FST only, and two for Provincial nominees only. Rounds occur at a frequency and in numbers that align with the annual Immigration Levels Plan and processing capacity 4

5 Reforms were introduced in November 2016 and June 2017 A reduction of points for job offers - To strike a balance between labour market responsiveness and immigrant outcomes Points for Canadian study - To ensure more former international students are invited to apply More facilitative job offer requirements - To better reflect current labour market realities More time to complete an application - To give more time to candidates to gather their supporting documents Points for a sibling in Canada - To recognize that having a sibling in Canada contributes to social integration Points for French-language proficiency - To encourage francophone immigration outside of Quebec, including in Francophone Communities. Voluntary Registration to Canada s Job Bank - To facilitate immediate access to the Express Entry pool A new approach to rank Express Entry candidates - To provide more flexibility and better precision during invitation rounds 5

6 Early Observations Post Reforms Reduced Job Offer Points (200 for NOC 00, 50 for all other NOC 0,A or B) More candidates with higher levels of skills and education are invited to apply Better mix of occupations (top 5 occupations in NOC A, more invitations to candidates in STEM occupations) Points for Canadian Study (15 or 30 points) Points for Canadian study, together with the reduction in job offer points, resulted in approx. 46% of invitations going to candidates with a Canadian education credential (up from 31% before the reforms). Job Offer Requirements (LMIA exemption, job duration of 1 year) Arranged employment requirements better reflect the nature of work in Canada Approx. 60% of invited candidates with arranged employment points are benefiting from an LMIA exemption Time to submit an application (from 60 days to 90 days) Since the change, about one third of candidates submitting an application do it after 60 days. Fewer applications are rejected for incompleteness (from 11% prior the change to 6% as of August 2017). 6

7 Early Observations Post Reforms Points for a Sibling in Canada (15 points) Between June 6, 2017 and August 31, 2017, close to 10% of invitations were issued to candidates with a sibling in Canada. Points for French- Language Proficiency (15 or 30 points) Between June 6, 2017 and August 31, 2017, about 3.9% of invitations were issued to French-speaking candidates. 4.6% of all invited candidates received additional points for Frenchlanguage proficiency. Voluntary Registration to Job Bank Since Job Bank registration has become voluntary, 1,140 candidates registered weekly on average vs 2000 in 2017 before the reforms. 7

8 Anticipated Effect to the Federal Skilled Trades The reforms had the anticipated effect of reducing the number of Federal Skilled Trades candidates invited to apply. - Prior to the reform, the 600 job offer points ensured many of these candidates were invited regardless of their core human capital scores. While some candidates who qualified for Federal Skilled Trades were invited to apply, invitations since the November changes decreased from 10% to 0.3%. - About 3% of invitations were issued to candidates with a trade occupation registered on the FST occupation list. As a result, IRCC conducted a FST-specific round of invitations on May 26, 2017, inviting 401 candidates with a score of at least 199. A second FST-specific round was conducted on November 1, 2017, inviting 505 candidates with a score of at least 241. IRCC will continue to monitor skilled trades within the Express Entry system to determine whether any further action is required. 8

9 Legislative Changes to Further Improve the System On June 22, 2017, the following changes came into force: Client Service: 10.1(7) Specify that candidates declining an invitation will return to the Express Entry pool. 11.2(2) Clarify that IRCC will accept a candidate s application in certain instances even when their score has changed after being invited to apply due to a change in circumstance. Processing Efficiency: 10.3(1)(i) Allow for more flexibility in administering invitations to apply (e.g. FST and PNP in one round of invitations with different minimum scores). 10.3(3) Ensure that candidates meet program criteria if invited, by applying minimum entry criteria changes to people already in the Express Entry pool (Retrospectivity). Partnerships: 10.1(1.1) Ensure that Provincial Nominees in Express Entry are only invited as a Provincial Nominee and not under a federal program Allow the sharing of candidate information created by the Express Entry system and IRCC with provinces and third parties. 9

10 Additional Changes Being Pursued: On October 24, 2017, the following changes were implemented: Better client service and efficiency improvements including: Sending automated messages to candidates in the pool about foreign qualification recognition and official language minority communities Improved functionality of the PT portal and increased candidate information available 10

11 Thank you Steven Owen Employer Liaison Officer Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada