Yahoo Finance Numbers game: Here’s how Canada’s point system for skilled immigrants works
There are many ways to immigrate to Canada, but there are three federal programs that have traditionally brought in the greatest number of skilled workers on an annual basis and they rely on a points-based system.
To qualify for those programs, a person needs either Canadian or foreign work experience, or to be certified as a skilled worker in certain in-demand trades.
These three programs, which brought in about 70,000 people in 2022, are managed by an online system called Express Entry.
To apply as an immigrant through one of these programs, a person needs to submit a profile on the online system. The profile will then be ranked in the system based on the number of points that an applicant gets out of 1,200. The applicant’s score depends on factors such as age, foreign and Canadian work experience, English and French language proficiency and education.
Based on the number of skilled workers that Canada needs, the federal government generally announces cut-off scores once or twice a month. If applicants score higher than the cut-off, they are invited to become Canadian permanent residents.
Age
Applicants who aren’t married and under the age of 30 can get 110 points — the maximum number of points available in this category. Applicants with a spouse, though, can only get a maximum of 100 points.
Points start decreasing once applicants turn 30. For example, an applicant who would get 105 points at 30 gets 99 points at 31 and 94 points at 32. The system has been designed to attract younger applicants from around the world.
Two-thirds of recent immigrants belonged to the core working age group of 25 to 54, according to an analysis published by Statistics Canada in 2022.
Language
It’s not uncommon for highly skilled applicants to rank lower than their peers due to getting relatively poorer scores in international English language testing systems. Applicants are often compelled to take these tests several times because even differences as small as half a mark can make a big impact in the overall points system.
An applicant can get up to 160 points in the language category. They can also get 50 extra points if they meet the criteria for French proficiency.
Education
The higher the level of education, the more points an applicant receives. For example, someone can receive 150 points for a doctorate degree from abroad, 135 points for a master’s degree and so on. Applicants can also receive up to 30 extra points if they complete a degree within Canada.
In addition, candidates can get 50 points under the “skill transferability factors,” which analyzes language proficiency, Canadian work experience along with education.
Work experience
The Express Entry system gives applicants points for working abroad and adds extra points for work experience in Canada. Applicants can also get more points if they are supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which is a government document that shows a foreign applicant is needed to fill a particular job.
They can also get 50 extra points if they have a certificate of qualification (COQ) from a province, territory or federal body. A COQ lets people work in some skilled trades. A person needs to pass a certification exam to get one.
Provincial Nomination Program
The highest number of points an applicant gets, however, is by getting nominated by a province. The provincial nomination program is a different stream, but it is linked to the Express Entry program.
If a province decides to accept or nominate an applicant based on the applicant’s strengths, they get about 600 additional points, which can take the applicant towards the top of the Express Entry ranking system.
Each province has its own set of targets and requirements. Around 88,205 people were invited through the Provincial National Program in 2022.
Apart from the above, applicants can also get 15 additional points if they have a spouse or sibling already living in Canada as a citizen or a permanent resident.
Currently, there are more than 1,000 people who have over 600 points, and around 70,000 people who have 450 to 600 points. Overall, there are about 214,000 people in the pool waiting to get an invitation to apply.
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