Canada's first come, first served, overly bureaucratic immigration system is ill-equipped to meet the needs of today's job market, especially in high-growth, low-unemployment areas of the country, like Saskatchewan, says federal Immigration and Citizenship Minister Chris Alexander.
"We have been stuck in the 1970s, maybe even the 1960s, in immigration, receiving applications in a mechanical, robotic way from whoever happened to apply,' Alexander told a Canadian HR Conference in Regina Wednesday.
"We couldn't predict who would apply from year to year, but we were obliged by law to process every application that came in - in the order it was received.'
But Alexander, who took over as immigration minister in July 2013, says that "passive, processing mode' of immigration - "waiting for people to apply to immigrate, hoping that they had the skills we needed" - will come to end on Jan. 1, 2015, when Express Entry is officially launched.
Express Entry, announced in July, represents a "sea change" in Canadian immigration policy, said Alexander, who spent 18 years as a member of the Canadian Foreign Service, including a stint as Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan, before being elected as Conservative MP for the Ontario riding of Ajax-Pickering in 2011.
"Express Entry is not a new program,' Alexander told the audience of immigration, recruitment and human resources (HR) professionals. "It is a system for delivering the existing programs with their existing point systems, their existing lists of occupations and other requirements, faster - six months for 80 per cent of applications or better.'
And Express Entry will apply the various immigration programs - the Skilled Worker Program, the Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class - to a much larger group of candidates. "So that the (immigrants) that we actually invite to come to Canada, the ones whose applications we actually process, are the ones we know we actually need," Alexander said.
That's because immigrants will have to meet certain educational, experience and employment criteria - up to and including a job offer from a Canadian employer - before they're even considered for selection by Express Entry.
"So we're moving away from a supply-driven system, where anyone can apply, and we passively process their applications, ... to a demand-driven system that actively selects candidates based on needs identified nationally, but also provincially and, above all, by you as employers.'
Following his address, Alexander admitted the province has repeatedly requested increases to the number of immigrants admitted under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program. Alexander said Express Entry can help by quicker processing and expedited approval of immigrants. "Saskatchewan would be an excellent candidate to join us and put their provincial nominations against people who will be in this Express Entry pool.'
But one conference delegate wasn't convinced Express Entry will make a big difference in the number of immigrants coming to the province, especially with recent changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program.
"I think certain sectors (needing higher skill workers) will benefit very well," said Linda West, president of Actyl Group Inc., a Regina-based international recruitment firm. "I'm not sure how the hospitality sector is going to fare in this or (sectors) that need lower skills. It's been very hard to find (construction) labourers, warehouse workers and hospitality workers. I'm confused as to how that will get fixed," West said.
"You can only have so many managers." bjohnstone@leaderpost.com
after I finished it, I get two point
1. meet certain educational, experience and employment criteria - up to and including a job offer from a Canadian employer - before they're even considered for selection by Express Entry.
2. low skill worker is not the target of the system.
in short, it will be more picky to exclude low skill and low educated and no current job offer. but fast for high ( educated , skilled ) worker with job offer.
so clear , it is now.
"We have been stuck in the 1970s, maybe even the 1960s, in immigration, receiving applications in a mechanical, robotic way from whoever happened to apply,' Alexander told a Canadian HR Conference in Regina Wednesday.
"We couldn't predict who would apply from year to year, but we were obliged by law to process every application that came in - in the order it was received.'
But Alexander, who took over as immigration minister in July 2013, says that "passive, processing mode' of immigration - "waiting for people to apply to immigrate, hoping that they had the skills we needed" - will come to end on Jan. 1, 2015, when Express Entry is officially launched.
Express Entry, announced in July, represents a "sea change" in Canadian immigration policy, said Alexander, who spent 18 years as a member of the Canadian Foreign Service, including a stint as Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan, before being elected as Conservative MP for the Ontario riding of Ajax-Pickering in 2011.
"Express Entry is not a new program,' Alexander told the audience of immigration, recruitment and human resources (HR) professionals. "It is a system for delivering the existing programs with their existing point systems, their existing lists of occupations and other requirements, faster - six months for 80 per cent of applications or better.'
And Express Entry will apply the various immigration programs - the Skilled Worker Program, the Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class - to a much larger group of candidates. "So that the (immigrants) that we actually invite to come to Canada, the ones whose applications we actually process, are the ones we know we actually need," Alexander said.
That's because immigrants will have to meet certain educational, experience and employment criteria - up to and including a job offer from a Canadian employer - before they're even considered for selection by Express Entry.
"So we're moving away from a supply-driven system, where anyone can apply, and we passively process their applications, ... to a demand-driven system that actively selects candidates based on needs identified nationally, but also provincially and, above all, by you as employers.'
Following his address, Alexander admitted the province has repeatedly requested increases to the number of immigrants admitted under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program. Alexander said Express Entry can help by quicker processing and expedited approval of immigrants. "Saskatchewan would be an excellent candidate to join us and put their provincial nominations against people who will be in this Express Entry pool.'
But one conference delegate wasn't convinced Express Entry will make a big difference in the number of immigrants coming to the province, especially with recent changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program.
"I think certain sectors (needing higher skill workers) will benefit very well," said Linda West, president of Actyl Group Inc., a Regina-based international recruitment firm. "I'm not sure how the hospitality sector is going to fare in this or (sectors) that need lower skills. It's been very hard to find (construction) labourers, warehouse workers and hospitality workers. I'm confused as to how that will get fixed," West said.
"You can only have so many managers." bjohnstone@leaderpost.com
after I finished it, I get two point
1. meet certain educational, experience and employment criteria - up to and including a job offer from a Canadian employer - before they're even considered for selection by Express Entry.
2. low skill worker is not the target of the system.
in short, it will be more picky to exclude low skill and low educated and no current job offer. but fast for high ( educated , skilled ) worker with job offer.
so clear , it is now.
