LMIA points, abolishing flagging, and reforming Canada's immigration system

28 Dec 2024
On December 17, 2024, Canadian Immigration Minister Mark Miller made an announcement about revisions to immigration policy, which heralds significant changes to Canada's immigration system. At its core, the announcement consists of a number of reforms aimed at making the entry and stay process fairer and more efficient for immigrants, and changes like the elimination of LMIA scores will have a significant impact on not only immigration to Canada, but also the job market.

One of the biggest changes is the elimination of the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) extra points awarded to job offers based on the Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) in the Express Entry system. LMIAs are certifications that employers must receive from Employment and Labour Canada to allow foreign workers to legally work in Canada. Under the previous policy, Express Entry applicants with valid LMIA job offers were eligible to receive an additional 50 points up to a maximum of 200 points. However, as abuses of the LMIA process continued to come to light, there was a need for measures to prevent them and make the system fairer. As a result, Canada is removing the extra points for Express Entry through the LMIA and focusing on selecting people who can actually contribute to the Canadian economy. Going forward, increasing your CRS score in favor of immigration will require alternatives such as adding Canadian education, improving your language skills or studying additional French, or bolstering your work experience score. 


 The flagpoling system will also be abolished. Flagpoling is a process that allows temporary residents to return to a border office to re-enter Canada and receive a visa or extension of stay quickly, without leaving Canada altogether. However, it has been criticized for draining border management resources, causing traffic congestion, and resulting in economic losses each year. Going forward, temporary residents will only be able to apply for visa extensions online, which is expected to make border management more efficient. However, it is likely to cause inconvenience for some applicants, as actions such as visa extensions will take longer than before. 


It also significantly increases the authority of Citizenship and Immigration Canada to manage immigration documents. Under the amended Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will have the power to revoke, suspend, or modify immigration documents such as visas in cases of fraud or security risks. They will also have the legal authority to suspend or refuse to accept applications in cases of large-scale fraud or where it is against the public interest. This is a step towards maintaining the security and integrity of the immigration system and reflects the Canadian government's commitment to addressing issues such as administrative waste through fraudulent companies. 


The decision to expand the application of the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) is also seen as an important step in reducing illegal immigration. Since March 2023, Canada has expanded the agreement with the United States to cover the entire border, which has significantly reduced the number of illegal entries. In addition, Canada is further strengthening border security by sharing information with the United States and enhancing the electronic travel authorization (eTA) vetting process. This demonstrates Canada's commitment to simultaneously increasing immigration and border security. 


These immigration policy changes reflect the Canadian government's desire to reduce the misuse and abuse of policies that were designed to accommodate applicants in the Canadian immigration system, and to modernize the Canadian immigration system to make it fairer and more efficient. However, the changes may cause inconvenience and confusion for some applicants, especially the elimination of LMIA points, which will directly affect those who have been preparing for permanent residency. Going forward, it will be more effective to prepare for immigration by strengthening language skills, work experience, and Canadian education. It will also be important to be proactive and responsive to changes in the Canadian immigration system.  


CONTACT US

Embark your journey with CanNest Immigration