Canada changes Express Entry rules; removes bonus CRS points for arranged employment
Express Entry candidates will no longer receive extra Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for having a valid job offer, including offers supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). The change took place in the Ministerial Instructions effective March 25, 2025, as per a CIC News report.
Before this change, Express Entry candidates with arranged employment could earn an extra 50 or 200 CRS points, significantly increasing their chances of receiving an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence (PR). This change now impacts the CRS scores of all candidates in the Express Entry pool who had previously benefited from additional points for arranged employment.
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Candidates who have already received ITAs or who have PR applications in progress are not affected. In a press release on December 23, 2024, Canada stated that the removal of additional points is a temporary measure, but did not say when the measure would conclude.
«The March 25, 2025 version of the Ministerial Instructions has retained the majority of the sections describing what constitutes a qualifying offer of arranged employment, despite having removed the section which awards points for such an offer,» said CIC news.
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Canada notes that «it may take a few