Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently proposed a comprehensive reform plan for its Express Entry immigration system.
Under the proposed changes, IRCC is considering eliminating or modifying bonus points for secondary criteria that are deemed to less reflect a candidate's economic potential. These criteria include having relatives in Canada, prior study in the country, French language proficiency, and being accompanied by a spouse or common-law partner.
Provincial nominee program nominations, which currently contribute up to 600 points out of 1,200 on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scale, are also under review for potential elimination to prevent overlap, similar to the 67-point threshold of the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). In their place, the government plans to recognize additional professional certifications and skilled trades.
Conversely, IRCC proposes awarding bonus points on the CRS scale for individuals who secure job offers in what it terms "high-income occupations." There are three tiers of bonus points, determined by the occupation's wage ratio relative to the national average: 1.3 times (e.g., financial analysts), 1.5 times (e.g., engineers, teachers), and 2 times (e.g., doctors, professors).
The three existing immigration programs – the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) for candidates working in Canada, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) for those with work experience both domestically and internationally, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) for skilled tradespeople – are expected to be merged, sharing common requirements.
Candidates will need at least one year of work experience (domestic or international) within the last three years, a change from the current continuous experience requirement. Language proficiency will be standardized at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 6, equivalent to 5.5 IELTS across all four skills, irrespective of the occupation. This represents a relaxation for the FSWP group, which previously required CLB 7, but an increase for some other general labor and skilled trades categories.
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University of Toronto campus, Canada. *Photo: University of Toronto Fanpage* |
Draws targeting specific in-demand occupations will continue to be conducted to address localized labor shortages.
These proposed changes are based on documents IRCC shared with immigration lawyers and align with the department's 2026-2028 strategic plan. If approved, this would mark the most significant overhaul of the Express Entry system since its launch in 2015.
The Express Entry system facilitates expedited immigration processing for foreign workers, utilizing the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) which awards a maximum of 1,200 points. Candidates with higher scores have a greater likelihood of receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residency.
In 2025, Canada issued nearly 114,000 invitations to apply for immigration, marking the second-highest number in the program's history. So far this year, as of early April, over 55,800 candidates have received invitations.
By Khanh Linh (Source: CIC News, Visa HQ)
