The federal government has made changes to the Express Entry immigration process that will make it easier for international students who study in Canada to become permanent residents.
To determine who is granted permanent residency, the government awards points to immigrants depending on factors such as age, level of education, and language proficiency. The applicants in the Express Entry pool with the most points are invited to apply to be permanent residents, according to the Express Entry website.
An applicant between the ages of 20 and 29 receives more points than someone aged 40 to 49, and an applicant with a bachelor’s degree does better than someone with a secondary school diploma.
But international students who study in Canada will now receive more points towards their total than applicants with foreign diplomas, certificates, or degrees. This will give these applicants a better chance of getting permanent residency, according to the government.
Universities Canada is welcoming the changes, according to a media release on their website.
“Attracting and retaining the world’s brightest minds is essential to advancing Canada’s economic growth and innovation agenda,” Universities Canada president Paul Davidson said in the release.
But Howard Duncan, a Carleton University migration and diaspora studies professor, said he is skeptical of the Express Entry changes. While the government said they hope these changes will incentivize students to stay in Canada after graduation, the number of people allowed to immigrate to Canada has not increased.
He said international students receive incentives to return to their home countries after earning their degrees in Canada, making it difficult to encourage students to stay in the country.
“Having Canadian education [and] having Canadian experience will be very good for their careers back home . . . What we’re looking at is a global competition for talent,” he said. “You’ve got this competition going in all directions. We in Canada want the students to come here, but their home countries want them to come back.”
Salma Zakaria, a first-year Carleton political science and economics student, said that once she earns her degree from Carleton, she plans on applying to law school. Originally she planned on going to law school in the United States or the United Kingdom, but the changes to Express Entry have got her thinking about graduate education in Canada.
“I heard about the changes, and I’m now thinking of going to [the University of Toronto], because it’s a great law school . . . I would definitely apply to the program now that it’s easier for students [to become permanent residents].”
In addition to making the application process easier for international students who studied in Canada, the government has extended the deadline to apply for permanent residency from 60 to 90 days, making it easier for applicants to gather all the paperwork and documentation needed to complete the immigration process.
John McCallum, minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship, said in a release that the government is making efforts to attract highly skilled immigrants to Canada.
“This is important to build our economy and strengthen our society,” McCallum said. “I am confident that the changes to Express Entry will be one of the many positive outcomes of the changes we will be bringing to our immigration system.”
