Canada plans to revise its Express Entry system; how Indians could benefit

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) feels the need to support the growth of Canada’s tech sector, a category of Express Entry candidates would be created based on criteria such as work experience in the sector occupation and/or a related educational credential, CIC News reported. With this, top candidates from the category can be invited to get permanent residence (PR).

This could benefit Indians seeking PR and students as well. The data from IRCC reveals that Indian students are one of the largest international populations in Canada. These students mostly hold or are pursuing degrees in Supply Chain Management, MBA, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Master’s in management, as per an India Today report. Therefore, the creation of specific categories based on economic needs can attract PRs for these students.

Indians in general have been benefactors of PR permits as well as student visas. In 2020, about 50,841 Indian citizens received invites to apply for permanent residence (PR) in Canada, under the ‘Express Entry’ route. The following year, nearly 100,000 Indians became PRs of Canada as the country admitted a record 405,000 new immigrants.

Recently, Canada announced additional work permit benefits for international students. In the summer of 2022, international students in Canada who possess a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) expiring between January and December 2022 will qualify for an additional open work permit valid up to 18 months.

As per data, about 95,000 PGWPs are about to expire in 2022, and about 50,000 PGWP holders could benefit from this. Indian students will again be a benefactor of this change as there are over 622,000 foreign students in Canada, out of which 217,410 are Indians, as of December 31, 2021 according to an ET report.