After rampant fraud that has allowed hundreds of thousands of unwanted immigrants, the Government of Canada was forced to take action to stop or reduce fraud in the way it is operating it’s various visa schemes that have been exploited in countries like India with flood of unwanted immigrants using fraudulent means in the student program to get entry into Canada. As part of ongoing efforts to prevent and reduce fraud, Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, recently announced that Express Entry candidates will no longer receive additional points for having a job offer.

By PD Raj – Senior Reporter DESIBUZZCanada

OTTAWA—After rampant fraud that has allowed hundreds of thousands of unwanted immigrants, the Government of Canada was forced to take action to stop or reduce fraud in the way it is operating it’s various visa schemes that have been exploited in countries like India with flood of unwanted immigrants using fraudulent means in the student program to get entry into Canada.

As part of ongoing efforts to prevent and reduce fraud, Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, recently announced that Express Entry candidates will no longer receive additional points for having a job offer.

“We are taking important steps to reduce fraud while continuing to attract the skilled talent our economy needs. Immigration has always been a cornerstone of Canada’s success, and we remain committed to welcoming the best and brightest to Canada so that everyone has access to the quality jobs, homes and supports they need to thrive,”said Miller.

This temporary measure will reduce fraud by removing the incentive to illegally buy or sell labour market impact assessments to improve a candidate’s chances of being selected to come to Canada as a permanent resident. This change will come into effect in spring 2025.

Once they take effect, the changes will impact candidates pursuing permanent residence through the Express Entry system, including those currently working in Canada temporarily. The changes will not affect candidates who have already been invited to apply or who have an application in progress. Once the change is introduced, it will apply to all candidates with job offers in the pool as well as new candidates entering the pool.   

Immigration is essential to our country’s economic success and growth. As we continue to welcome newcomers to support key sectors, the Express Entry system ensures that Canada has the skilled workers it needs to grow our economy. These changes support a responsive, well-managed and fair immigration system.

These measures support our ongoing efforts to continue to build a strong and fair immigration system as announced on December 17.

Express Entry is Canada’s flagship application management system for those seeking to immigrate permanently through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Canadian experience class and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program.

In June 2022, the Government of Canada made changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to allow for the selection of immigrants based on key attributes that support economic priorities, such as specific work experience or knowledge of French.