Canada shifts to wage‑focused picks
Canada is proposing to reshape its skilled‑immigration points system to prioritise applicants with higher wages and earning potential, changing how candidates will be ranked. The change was reported as a broad overhaul by the Toronto Star and was echoed in recent Canadian policy videos that frame new laws like Bill C‑12 as tightening enforcement and shaping public perception of migration risk for temporary residents (thestar.com) (youtube.com).
Canada is preparing to rewrite Express Entry so higher wages and earning potential count more in who gets picked for permanent residence. (canada.ca) (thestar.com) Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada added the plan to its Forward Regulatory Plan on April 1 and updated it on April 7. The department said it wants to create one new federal high-skilled immigration class and repeal the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades Class. (canada.ca) The current Express Entry system has managed those three programs since 2015. Under the proposal, Canada would keep the pool but simplify eligibility rules and change how candidates are ranked for invitations to apply. (canada.ca) (thestar.com) The shift fits a wider 2026 immigration plan that puts more weight on economic selection and tighter control of temporary migration. Canada’s 2026-2028 levels plan says economic immigrants will make up about 63 percent of permanent resident admissions in 2026 and 64 percent in 2027 and 2028. (canada.ca 1) (canada.ca 2) Minister Lena Metlege Diab said on February 18 that Canada’s 2026 Express Entry categories would focus on “top talent” and labour gaps. The department announced category-based draws in health care, education and trades, along with a broader push to attract highly skilled workers through its International Talent Attraction Strategy. (canada.ca 1) (canada.ca 2) The department says consultations with provinces, employers, stakeholders and the public are planned for spring 2026. That means the wage-focused ranking model is still a proposal, not a rule in force. (canada.ca) At the same time, Ottawa has been moving on a separate track to tighten asylum and document controls. Bill C-12 received royal assent on March 26, 2026, and the government said the law strengthens immigration and asylum systems in four areas, including new asylum eligibility rules and new powers over immigration documents and applications. (parl.ca) (canada.ca) In its 2026-27 departmental plan, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada also said it is cutting spending by about C$155 million this fiscal year and by about C$285 million by 2028-29, while reducing about 318 full-time positions. The same plan says the department is limiting some settlement-program eligibility for economic immigrants and shifting some employer compliance inspections to Employment and Social Development Canada. (canada.ca) For applicants, the immediate change is uncertainty about what will earn the most points next. For Ottawa, the direction is clearer: a smaller set of permanent-residence pathways, more emphasis on higher-paid work, and a broader immigration system being recast around labour-market fit and enforcement. (canada.ca 1) (canada.ca 2)
