Express Entry immigration system, immigration priority

Starting in 2015 Canada will launch an Express Entry immigration system that is designed to give immigration priority to younger migrants who have top professional qualifications and to those who already have the offer of a job in Canada. In 2014 it was apparent that the current Temporary Foreign Worker Program was having difficulty satisfying the demands of the labor market in Canada, and many thought that the program was open to abuse by companies and migrants both. There have been claims that the TFWP allowed employers to pay foreign immigrants less than Canadian workers, and that some companies fired Canadian citizens to hire foreign workers who did not need to be paid as much. The new Express Entry immigration program is expected to work better for everyone.

The Express Entry immigration system, which gives immigration priority to certain categories, is expected to help meet labor market needs while allowing Canadian citizens some protections as well. The previous TFWP was justified by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his government because Canadians often refuse to take fast food chain restaurant jobs. The temporary foreign workers were not allowed to apply for permanent resident status and they were given fewer rights and protections than the new Express Entry immigration system. It is too soon to tell if the new system will be more effective or if it too will fail. Many Canadians feel that foreign workers and the companies who hire them are given an unfair advantage over citizens born in Canada.