Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced Tuesday that Canada will eliminate additional points awarded to Express Entry immigration candidates who hold Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) job offers, a change that could significantly impact candidates’ chances of receiving permanent residency invitations.

Currently, Express Entry candidates receive 50 to 200 additional Comprehensive Ranking System points for LMIA-based job offers, with higher points awarded for executive positions. These additional 50 points can make the difference between receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residency or not.

“We will be implementing further measures that reinforce the program and reduce the potential for LMIA fraud,” Miller said in a televised interview on December 17. “This measure is expected to remove the incentive for candidates to purchase an LMIA, resulting in increased fairness and integrity in Express Entry.”

The implementation date remains unclear. As of December 18, the government’s online points calculator still awards 50 points for valid job offers.

This change follows recent modifications to Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program, including September’s suspension of LMIA processing for low-wage positions and November’s increased pay requirements for high-wage workers.

Throughout 2024, most general Express Entry draws required scores above 500 points, while category-based draws frequently had lower thresholds. The government has set a target of 82,000 net new temporary foreign worker work permits for 2025.

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