The Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has recently announced three substantial changes to the Express Entry System starting June 6, 2017.
Firstly, candidates who achieve a language benchmark of 7 in
French can be awarded at least 15 additional Comprehensive Ranking
System (CRS) points, depending on their English skills. Bilingual
applicants will gain the most CRS points, being awarded 30 points
for having both a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 5 or better
in English and 7 or better in French. Secondly, the Express Entry
system will also begin to award points for individuals with
siblings in Canada. To qualify for these points, the sibling must
be 18 years of age or older, living in Canada, and a citizen or
permanent resident. Finally, the Job Bank registration for Express
Entry candidates becomes voluntary for all candidates. Previously,
it was mandatory for a candidate to create a Job Bank account if
they do not have a valid job offer or a provincial or territorial
nomination before they are placed in the Express Entry pool and
become eligible for an invitation round.
IRCC's decision to award
additional points to French-speaking and bilingual applicants
continues the the trend of creating additional opportunities for
French-speaking applicants. This program echos the Mobilité
Francophone work permit program, implemented in June 2016, where
French-speaking skilled workers can quickly qualify for Canadian
work permits without the need for a Labour Market Impact
Assessment.
If you would like to know more about these upcoming changes, and how they may affect your chances of being selected under Express Entry, we encourage you to contact Green and Spiegel for a consultation and assessment.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.