Canada is merging the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker, and Federal Skilled Trades programs into one system. After the merger, priority will go to those outside the country with a job offer—even without verifying the offer’s authenticity. Students and workers without high-paying positions will remain outside the queue.
How candidate selection will change
Current programs rank applicants separately. After the merger, the system will be restructured so that a job offer becomes the deciding factor. Those receiving job offers from outside Canada will surpass those already in the country, not working in a high-paying position, or not working at all. This means a student who spent two or three years studying in Canada and gaining experience in an NOC B position (unskilled jobs) will become a competitor for a candidate with a job offer from another country.
The problem with verifying job offers
IRCC stated it will verify the authenticity of all job offers. However, the department previously failed to effectively combat forgeries even with mandatory LMIA verification. Now LMIA is no longer required. This means confirming the reality of a job offer will become more difficult, and attempts to provide fake offers will increase. If IRCC discovers a forgery, the candidate receives a five-year immigration ban. But detecting a forgery among hundreds of applications is harder than it seems: simultaneously, people with fake offers and those who genuinely have a job offer but through not entirely legal means could pass the selection.
A trap for those in Canada
Students and workers already in Canada find themselves in an unfortunate position. If a student who spent time and money earning a diploma and gaining experience in the country is waiting to complete a low-wage job term—for example, complete a year of work experience by December—the system may reject them before that deadline passes. When the queue transitions to the new scheme, the candidate falls into a losing category. The status seems unfair, but Canadian immigration authorities (IRCC) make decisions based on state interests, not individual applicants’ interests.
Why this is happening
Canada is directing its policy toward attracting a workforce that quickly integrates into the labor market and delivers economic results. A job offer serves as a signal of such integration. The system is moving away from a model where experience in Canada itself has priority, because that is slower for the country’s economy. This is a strategic choice of the state, regardless of whether it is fair to candidates already in the process of adaptation.
What to expect next
The merger of programs is the first wave of changes. The second wave promises to be even more radical. Candidates who are currently on the verge of success—for example, scored 500+ points and are waiting to complete their work experience—should understand that the system is rapidly changing. Waiting for the situation to improve may mean that requirements worsen before the deadline the candidate was counting on.
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