The Canadian federal government is preparing the largest overhaul of its core skilled immigration system since 2015. In the future, skilled immigration will no longer focus primarily on whether applicants have Canadian work experience, but will place greater emphasis on income levels. Newly disclosed internal documents show the reform will proceed in three main areas, with selection criteria shifting clearly toward “high-income, high-skill” candidates.
According to the Toronto Star, the reform centers on the Express Entry system. This system has long evaluated applicants based on factors such as age, education, work experience, and language ability, and regularly issues invitations for permanent residency.
A slide deck obtained by The Star from within the Immigration Department shows that the reform will focus on three key areas:
- Incorporating wage levels and earning potential into the scoring system;
- Giving priority to applicants with high-paying job offers;
- Reducing the weight of Canadian education credentials in the scoring system.
The slide states: “The reform will advance the Canadian government’s mission of attracting the world’s top talent, ensuring more high-skilled, high-income candidates are selected.”
This Express Entry overhaul involves merging three major immigration programs and restructuring the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), requiring significant regulatory changes. Overall, the selection mechanism will shift from emphasizing education and local experience to prioritizing high income and high skills, while many traditional bonus factors may be reduced or eliminated.
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
In terms of specific selection mechanisms, the government plans to introduce a “high-wage occupation list.” This list will be based on data from Statistics Canada and labor market analysis, selecting occupations with wages above the national median. Applicants in these fields, or those with relevant job offers, will gain a scoring advantage.
Proposed key changes to Express Entry include:
- Merging three existing immigration streams into a single unified pathway with standardized requirements;
- Eliminating or adjusting multiple CRS bonus factors;
- Reintroducing job offer points under a new “high-wage occupation” category;
- Accepting one year of cumulative work experience within the past three years (Canadian or foreign);
- Standardizing language requirements at CLB 6 for all applicants;
- Eliminating the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) 67-point threshold system;
- Removing the requirement of a job offer as a basic eligibility condition.
Toronto immigration lawyer Sajjad Malik believes that overemphasizing income may weaken Canada’s ability to attract essential but lower-paid occupations such as skilled trades, and could repeat past biases toward white-collar jobs. He also noted that if income becomes the central metric, the current age-based scoring system may also need adjustment, since higher-income individuals are often older.
At the same time, some industry professionals welcome the simplification of the system. Calgary immigration consultant Mandeep Lidher believes that using occupation-based average income rather than individual salary could reduce fraud risks. However, he emphasized that Canadian education should not be completely devalued, especially amid stricter international student policies.
The reform is still in the public consultation stage and an online survey will be launched later this spring to gather broader public input.
Major Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) reform
Starting March 30, whether an applicant has the “ability to establish themselves in the nominated province” or genuinely intends to reside there long-term will no longer be reassessed by federal immigration officers. Instead, this determination will be made directly by provincial and territorial governments. The federal Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will no longer override provincial decisions. Provinces will have the real authority to select candidates based on local labor markets, industry shortages, and economic needs.
Going forward, IRCC will mainly be responsible for four tasks: verifying applicant identity; confirming the validity of provincial nomination certificates; checking whether applicants belong to excluded categories; and assessing admissibility for entry into Canada.
This reform will have three major impacts on future provincial nominee immigration applicants:
- The importance of provincial nomination will significantly increase
- Federal duplicate review will be reduced, making processing more stable
- “Genuine intention to settle” will become more important, with provinces applying stricter scrutiny
By Li Xin
