2024 was a year of major decisions that will significantly change economic immigration in 2025. Among these updates, Express Entry is gaining in importance and features some drastic new policies, impacting even applicants already in the Express Entry pool, as part of Government efforts to attract new skilled migrants.
Increased Number of Express Entry Targets
As a means to fill its labour market gaps and attract talent from across the globe, Canada is planning on increasing its targets for immigration through Express Entry in 2025. Indeed the federal government estimates 114,000 permanent residents to be accepted via Express Entry this year, which shows an increase from the 109,000 for 2024.
This change comes to the detriment of regional and provincial pathways, which will be reduced by 20% of overall immigration compared to last year. The shift demonstrates Canada’s intention to address skill gaps in the market and encourage economic growth while administering immigration on a more federal level.
Introduction of Category-Based Draws
A huge change is the introduction of category-based draws to the Express Entry system. These draws target candidates with preferred skills, such as proficiency in French or experience in specific jobs. This means that skilled immigrants working in business sectors such as clean technology, information technology, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing that align with Canada’s economic goals will be prioritized.
The End of CRS Points For Job Offers
With the launch in spring 2025, it is predicted that valid job offers will no longer earn points. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) intends to focus more on personal human capital indicators like age, education, language and work experience rather than pre-arranged employment. This particularly impacts the CRS scores of candidates who were already in the Express Entry pool and who will have to adjust their immigration strategy to make up for the lost points.
Start-up Visa: An Open Work Permit
While some Express Entry applicants might be fazed by the recent policies, they might want to consider another kind of visa that has also been subject to changes in the last months of 2024.
As of October 3rd 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reported that entrepreneurs who apply for the Start-Up Visa (SUV) were qualified to receive open work permits for 3 years. This development could give more flexibility to possible entrepreneurs to find employment opportunities while developing their business ventures.
Strategic Recommendations To Encourage Entrepreneurs:
Here are a number of points to consider to navigate the new policies painlessly:
- Improve CRS Score: Work on increasing your language proficiency and acquiring education and relevant work experience.
- Align Your Business With Canada’s Economic Needs: Focus on industries that are in demand, as category-based draws might favour certain sectors.
- Make use of the Start-up Visa Program: Use the open work permit to set up your business and gain other employment to supplement your income.
- Keep Yourself Updated: Follow Canadian immigration sources constantly as policies often fluctuate. This could influence your immigration plan.
As Canada continues to evolve its immigration policies in 2025, new opportunities are made accessible to skilled workers. With the ever-growing competition in Canada’s workforce, keeping track of the most desired skills can prove to be useful, gives a better understanding and can enable easier access to settling in Canada.
Startup Visa Services works with immigration professionals to create migration strategies and create a business path to Canada documentation.
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