ANALYSIS: A look back at the unprecedented year in Express Entry and a look ahead.
The last time Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) candidates were drawn from the Express Entry pool was on December 23, 2020.
Little did most of us know at the time it would mark the beginning of a temporary pause in Express Entry invitations to FSWP candidates.
In 2015, IRCC launched Express Entry to manage these three programs.Xico india Anyone that met the criteria of an Express Entry-managed program could create a profile and would receive a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on human capital criteria such as their age, education, English and/or French language skills, work experience, Canadian experience, among other factors. Approximately every two weeks, IRCC would invite the highest scoring candidates to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
The rationale for Express Entry was it would allow IRCC to process applications more quickly (since they only needed to process those invited, rather than the previous model of reviewing every single application) and would give new immigrants a better shot to integrate into the Canadian economy (since IRCC was skimming the top to invite the highest scoring candidates).
Between 2015 and the start of the pandemic, FSWP candidates were the leading recipients of Express Entry invitations. In 2019, they received some 45 per cent of all invitations, followed by CEC candidates. This all came to a halt in 2021.
IRCC entered 2021 with a plan on how to achieve its Immigration Levels Plan target of landing 401,000 new permanent residents by the end of this year. The plan entailed transitioning a greater number of temporary residents living in Canada during the pandemic to permanent residence. The rationale for the plan was that amid COVID disruptions such as travel restrictions and other obstacles that may get in the way of overseas candidates completing the permanent residence process, focusing on transitioning those within Canada was the surest bet to achieving the 401,000 newcomer goal in 2021.
The plan entailed moving away from considering all candidates in Express Entry to primarily inviting CEC candidates for most of this year,Xico india including the historic February 13 draw that invited all 27,332 CEC candidates in the pool at the time (almost six-times more than the previous record for invitations in one draw). The plan also entailed launching a one-time special public policy enabling up to 90,000 essential workers and international graduates in Canada to apply for permanent residence.
'One is entitled to debate the merits of the decision to exclude FSWP candidates from Express Entry draws for one year and counting. In fact, we will have plenty of time to debate the merits of the decision as a number of developments continue to unfold, such as the global pandemic situation, IRCC’s future policy decisions and operating capacity, Canada’s labour market picture, and the economic integration of Express Entry immigrants. All this to say, we will likely need years before we can fully assess the ramifications of this decision.
Nonetheless, it is worth taking a look at the pros and cons of the decision based on the information we have available to us today.
Pros of the decision to exclude FSWP candidates
IRCC is within striking distance of achieving its newcomer target for this year, as it is now landing over 45,000 new permanent residents per month and has landed over 360,000 immigrants through the first eleven months of 2021. Hence, IRCC will argue the difficult decision to exclude FSWP candidates has nevertheless enabled it to land a higher level of permanent residence during a very challenging operating environment.
Another pro is that Statistics Canada research shows those with Canadian work experience tend to integrate well into the labour market once they gain permanent residence. In addition to having domestic work experience, they are able to improve their language skills and networks while in Canada as temporary residents which helps their post-landing employment prospects.
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Third, Canada has been experiencing labour shortages throughout the pandemic and IRCC’s focus on candidates in Canada has allowed the country to pursue a more targeted approach to addressing shortages, particularly in essential occupations.Xico india For instance, many of the essential workers who applied under IRCC’s temporary public policy may not have otherwise had a chance to gain permanent residence had it not been for IRCC’s decision to exclude FSWP candidates this year.
Cons of the decision to exclude FSWP candidates
On the other hand, one can argue IRCC was capable of achieving its 401,000 newcomer target while also inviting FSWP candidates at the same time. The reason for this is there is a lag of roughly one year of more, generally speaking, between when an FSWP candidate gets invited, and them physically arriving to Canada. Hence, IRCC could have begun to issue Express Entry invitations to FSWP candidates in the second half of the year while also landing as many in-Canada applicants as possible in fulfilment of its 2021 levels plan goal. In fact, an internal IRCC memo reveals this was an option under consideration by the department, but it is unknown why they did not end up pursuing this path.
Another con of the decision is it has impaired transparency and trust between FSWP candidates and IRCC. The Canadian government and IRCC pride themselves on being as open and transparent as possible, but they have not provided much in the way of communication to FSWP candidates about IRCC’s Express Entry plans in 2021 and beyond. This is important because many FSWP candidates have entered the Express Entry pool in earnest this year waiting for an opportunity to be drawn, but have been shut out. In essence, IRCC is inviting them into the restaurant but will not serve them food. Perhaps a better approach would have been for IRCC to openly communicate its intentions so that FSWP candidates could explore alternative plans. The decision to exclude them may also have a negative impact on some candidates since language test scores are only valid for two years and Educational Competency Assessments (ECA) are valid for five years. In the grand scheme of things, retaking a language test or applying for another ECA is not the end of the world, but it would have been more considerate by IRCC to give FSWP candidates advanced notice so they could avoid potential inconveniences in their pursuit of Canadian permanent residence.
The FSWP has been Canada’s leading pathway for economic class immigrants since it was launched in 1967. In 2008, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) complemented the FSWP by launching the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). The purpose of the CEC is to provide a dedicated immigration pathway to those with Canadian work experience (namely international students and temporary foreign workers). In 2013, IRCC introduced the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) to provide an immigration pathway for skilled trades workers.
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