On December 17, 2024, IRCC announced the removal of 50 points for PR supporting LMIA work permits. The government will no longer give extra Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for job offers supported by LMIAs.
While the date of implementation has not been finalized yet, the confirmation of removal has been announced. Here’s everything you need to know about this change and what it means for candidates and employers.
How Does LMIA work?
Before this change, candidates in the Express Entry system could get extra CRS points if they had a valid job offer supported by an LMIA. The points were:
- 50 points for most skilled jobs (TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 jobs under the NOC system).
- 200 points for senior management jobs (TEER 0).
These extra points often gave candidates a big advantage over other candidates who were waiting in the pool, helping them get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency.
Why Did Canada Remove These Points?
The government decided to make this change for a few reasons:
- Fraud Concerns: Due to recent immigration frauds, people were trying to manipulate CRS scores through 50 points LMIA. There were many reports of fake LMIAs being used to boost CRS scores. Some people even paid for fake job offers.
- Unfair Advantage: The extra points gave too much importance to LMIAs, making it harder for other qualified candidates to compete.
- New Focus on Targeted Draws: Since 2023, Canada has been focusing on specific skills and industries through category-based draws. Removing LMIA points supports this new strategy by prioritizing candidates with in-demand skills, not just job offers.
What Does This Mean for Express Entry Candidates?
Here are the key impacts:
Core CRS Score Is More Important
Unlike before when the unfair advantage was given to those who have LMIA, Candidates will now depend more on their core CRS score, which is based on age, education, work experience, and language skills.
Harder for LMIA-Dependent Candidates
If you were counting on LMIA-backed job offers to boost your score, it might now be harder to get an ITA. You may need to focus on improving other areas, like language test results or gaining more work experience.
More Competition
The pool of candidates could become more competitive because everyone will be ranked mostly on their own qualifications.
However, it is also predicted that the CRS score might fall down, giving fair opportunity to everyone in the pool.
Opportunities in Targeted Draws
Even without LMIA points, you could still get selected if you have skills that match Canada’s targeted draws, like healthcare, technology, or being fluent in French.
Impact on Employers
This change also affects employers. Before, offering an LMIA-backed job made it easier for foreign workers to get permanent residency. Now, employers may need to think of other ways to attract and keep skilled workers, like focusing on long-term career opportunities.
While many bad actors and fraudulent employers who used LMIA to sell will no longer be able to do this, many genuine employers may have a hard time looking for genuine talent.
When will this take effect?
IRCC hasn’t yet announced when this change will take effect. Candidates and employers should stay updated on new information from IRCC and prepare for these changes.
If you have an LMIA-backed job offer, it’s important to understand how this will affect your CRS score and look for ways to improve it.
Conclusion
Canada’s decision to remove 50 and 200 CRS points for LMIA-backed job offers is a big change for the Express Entry system. It makes the process fairer and focuses more on skills and qualifications. On the other hand, some people say that it might be harder for genuine employers to hire skilled labour.
