Canada Express Entry Programme: Employers And Foreign Temp Workers In Anxiety

Concerns are out over Canada's Express entry programme on migration that is set to take effect from the New Year. The main apprehension is with regard to temporary foreign workers who are already employed in Canada. There are fears that the new system will harm the job prospects of Americans, who are already employed in Canada through the North American Free Trade Agreement and other foreign nationals who got transferred to a Canadian branch and many other international youth workers, who are working in Canada.

Government Plan

According to the Canadian government, the new sytem will be all encompassing and all the high-skilled temporary foreign workers have to use this channel to apply for permanent residency. Even if an employer wants to elevate his temporary foreign worker to a permanent job, it must be done through the Express entry process. This was stated in the parliament by David Manicom, an associate minister, reported Cbc. Ca. News.

It means, all employers have to procure a Labour market impact assessment certificate to prove that they made an effort to hire a Canadian worker, prior to offering the job to a foreign worker. The Express entry will be operating on the basis of a points system, and will reward the super skilled immigrants with residency and also encourage more youngsters to the job market, over the older ones.

But some dissenting voices are also in the air, mainly by employers and industry bodies, who say they are not convinced. Sarah Anson-Cartwright, the director of skills policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and also consulted by the Canadian government, said she learned about the new rules on LMIA only during a meeting with immigration officials in late November. "We weren't aware that LMIA was required for virtually every candidate who applies for permanent residency, but that's the new scenario," she said.

List Of 50 Out

Coinciding with the start of Express entry system on Jan 1, the government is also dumping the list of 50 eligible occupations that it had been using to recruit highly skilled immigrants. The change will help employers to decide what all jobs need filling. This was welcomed by Anson-Carwright of the Chamber of Commerce, who said it makes sense for employers, as they do not have to be tied to a predetermined list.

The Emirates News reported that the process of applying for permanent residency in Canada is undergoing a sea change. Unlike the past, those interested in migration to Canada cannot select one or more streams to submit an application. Post reforms, from 2015 onwards there will be only one stream or list to choose from.

The report described the Express Entry as resembling a job bank where the process is seeking, recruiting, assessing and selecting skilled immigrants. Thereafter the government as well as private employers will share the talent pool of candidates on the basis of points and offer the job on hand.

Under the Express Entry, the candidates selected will be invited to apply through Canada's three economic immigration programmes:

• Federal Skilled Worker Programme
• Federal Skilled Trades Programme
• Canadian Experience Class

Through the reforms, the government claimed, it is trying to add greater flexibility in the system as the applicant will be able to update the profile with new skills from time to time and increase the points and maintain high employability.