Philippine Asian News Today Vol 18 No 22 | Page 15

November 16 - 30, 2016

LAWYER’s
Corner
By Giovanni G. Mata

The Immigration Refugee
and Citizenship Canada (the
“IRCC”) had introduced a
number of improvements
to the Express Entry System
which took effect on November
19, 2016. According to IRCC,
the changes will help attract
the best minds in the world,
including former international
students,
experienced
professionals and talented
workers who will strengthen
Canada’s competitiveness in
the global market.
Express Entry is an
application
management
system used by IRCC
to
manage
immigration
application for permanent
residence in Canada under
the
following
economic
programs, namely: Federal
Skilled
Worker
Class,
Federal Skilled Trades Class,
Canadian Experience Class,
and Provincial Nominee
Programs.
Those who meet the
criteria of one of the economic
programs
are
accepted
into a pool of candidates.
Candidates in the pool are

LOCAL NEWS

PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY

A15

Express Entry Improvements:
Who will benefit?

ranked according to
their Comprehensive Ranking
System (the “CRS”) score at
the time of an invitation round.
The CRS score is based on
four factors: 1) skills and
experience factors, 2) spouse
or common law partner
factors, 3) skills transferability,
and 4) job offer, provincial
nomination, or education in
Canada factors. Candidates
with high CRS score have
higher likelihood of getting an
Invitation to Apply (the “ITA”)
for permanent residence. After
the candidate has received an
ITA, he or she has to submit
an electronic application for
permanent residence. IRCC
will process the permanent
residence application within
six months from the date of
submission.
Prior to November 19,
2016, the CRS awards 600
points for permanent job
offers supported by a Labour
Market Impact Assessment
(LMIA). The CRS also awards
points only for education
that has been assessed with
Canadian equivalency. The
candidates, after receiving

an ITA, have 60 days to
submit their application for
permanent residence.
On November 19, 2016,
the following changes have
been implemented:
A) The CRS will no
longer award 600 points for
LMIA supported job offers.
There are now three ways to
get points for a job offer:
1) Candidates who are
working on LMIA exempt
work permits in Canada will
be awarded points for valid
job offers. They must however
have worked for at least one
year with the same employer
who is offering the job.
2) The job offer needs
only to be at least one year
in duration and need not be
permanent anymore.
3) Only 50 points will
be awarded to candidates
with valid job offers for
occupations in NOC skill level
0, A or B, and 200 points for
occupations in NOC 00.
B) CRS now awards
points to post-secondary
education in Canada. It will
award 15 points for a one or
two year diploma certificate

and 30 points for a degree,
diploma or certificate of
three years or more, or for
a Master’s, professional or
doctorate degree of at least
one academic year.
C) Candidates,
after
receiving an ITA, have
now an extended period to
submit their application for
permanent residence from 60
days to 90 days.
These
improvements
were introduced to support
Canada’s Global Skill Strategy.
With the said improvements,
Canada expects to attract the
most highly educated and
highly skilled workers from
around the world. These
improvements will definitely
facilitate the entry and access
the skills of the top talents
from around the world.
It will also attract
international students as their
post-secondary
education
credentials in Canada will now
be recognized for purposes of
immigration. This will directly
benefit the current and
former international students
who will be able transition
to permanent residence

through the Express Entry
System. They will now be in
a better position to become
permanent
residents
in
Canada.
If you are a foreign
worker or an international
student here in Canada and
seeking permanent residence,
I can help you go through the
application process. If you
need help or have questions
about Canada immigration,
you can reach me at
giovanni@equitylawgroup.
ca or call at 604-259-2844
to book a consultation
appointment.
Giovanni is a Lawyer
at Equity Law Group and a
member of the Law Society
of British Columbia. He is
also a Philippine Trial lawyer,
Certified International Trade
Professional in Canada, and
an Arbitrator. Giovanni’s
practice covers Immigration,
ICBC personal injury, Family
Law and Litigation.
Disclaimer: This article
is for information purposes
only and not to provide
specific legal advice.

Pre-planning
provides a
straightforward
way to ease the
financial and
emotional burden
for your
loved ones.

Let me take you through
the steps of Pre-Planning
your final arrangement.
We offer the most options,
starting at $46 a month.
Please call me to
book an appointment.

ALVIN BARRERA

ADVANCE PLANNING REPRESENTATIVE

778-319-7706

3070 – 275A Street,
Aldergrove, BC V4W 3L4

www.MyAlternatives.ca
WWW.P HILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM