Here are the Expected Changes to the Express Entry System By Dec 2016

At this time of the year, I usually start my projections for next year based on the government’s announced immigration plan. But this year there is a bit more speculation than normal since there have been many hints from the Immigration Minister that he wants to change the Express Entry rules to increase the chances for International Students who are currently in Canada studying or who have recently graduated.

I normally like to base my statements on facts and announcements that have already been made, but I would like to have a bit of fun and make a prediction.

So here in my crystal ball is what I expect that the Minister will do: There will likely be extra points for someone who has a Canadian degree or diploma in the comprehensive ranking system. That would be the easiest way to get the results that he has stated he wants. I think that an extra 30-50 points would be enough to do that but it could be even more.

There are many people waiting in the express entry pool with 430 to 470 points who have been waiting a long time and who may even have had to renew their profiles. So if these people have Canadian degrees or diplomas, they would get bumped above the others and be invited to apply on the next draw.

There is more good news for those in the Express Entry pool based on the new immigration target of 300,000 immigrants next year announced by the Minister on October 31, 2016. Within those targets, the Express Entry targets increased from 58,400 to 71,700. (This would include people who applied before the Express Entry system started.)

This means there will be 13,300 more people processed under the main economic stream next year. That is a huge increase even though it would include applicants and people who applied before the express entry system started. So for those in the express entry pool, this is good news even if you don’t have a Canadian degree or diploma!

Ian Goldman is a Canadian Immigration Lawyer with 23 years of experience. You may contact him at info@immigrationtocanada.org.