Dear Mr Brown:

I keep hearing and reading about expected changes concerning the Canadian Immigration law. I would like to know the nature of the changes. Will the Express Entry programme be changed too?

— NAS

Dear NAS:

Dear NAS:

There was a leaked internal Canadian government report regarding planned changes for immigration policy, which highlights changing labour market conditions and shortages in certain sectors. It also indicates how foreigners will be targeted.

Integration of newcomers

Integration of newcomers

It was cited that 35 per cent of male newcomers return home. In addition, a growing middle class in developing countries makes one less inclined to migrate. Accordingly, emphasis will be placed on the social factors that facilitate the integration of newcomers in an attempt to proactively retain new immigrants.

The interest in immigrant retention is based on the fact that immigrant children are likely to perform better than their Canadian counterparts. For example, regaining university education, 36 per cent of the children of immigrants graduate from university, while less than 25 per cent of Canadians achieve such educational status. Moreover, immigrants are more likely to become entrepreneurs.

Economic vs social immigration

All immigrants, including the refugee class, contribute to the society economically, especially in the long term. All immigrants also make social contributions to Canada. As such, the report also questioned the artificial differentiation between economic and social immigration as the two types of immigration are not mutually exclusive. If economic immigrants make social contributions and social immigrants make economic contributions, then there should be a balance between both types of immigration.

For example, the effects of Family Class on immigration retention are often not highlighted. If a new immigrant experiences unemployment or financial challenges without family economic and/or social support, then the immigrant is likely to return to their home country when such difficulties are experienced.

Potential changes

In order to address labour market conditions and immigration retention, changes that are currently being considered include:

• Re-designing the Temporary Foreign Workers Programme to meet the needs of employers while protecting the Canadian labour market.

• Re-designing Express Entry to be more fluid and more flexible.

• Eliminating the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirement for businesses that wish to hire candidates using Express Entry, who are currently working in Canada under the International Mobility Programme.

• Revising the assessment process for international students working under the Post-Graduate Work Programme, to qualify under Express Entry.

Please visit

jamaica2canada.com for additional information on Canadian Permanent Residence programmes, including Express Entry, the Study and Work progamme, Visitor’s visas or Appeals, etc.

Antonn Brown, BA, (Hons), LLB, MSc, RCIC, is an immigration counsel and education agent of

JAMAICA2CANADA.COM— a Canadian immigration & education firm in Kingston. Send questions/comments tojamaica2canada@gmail.com.