Canada plans to tighten norms for PR status

THE PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE PROCESS WERE ANNOUNCED BY CANADA'S MINISTER MARC MILLER

- Anirudh Bhattacharyya

TORONTO: Canadian immigration authorities are considering reducing fraud by eliminating the advantage given to applicants for temporary or permanent residency who have a job offer.

Those job offers fall under the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), a document prospective employers have to procure prior to hiring a foreign worker. For those seeking permanent resident or PR status, having the job offer can add 50 points at the minimum to their score, elevating their chances of qualifying under the Express Entry category.

The projected change was announced by Canada's minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship Marc Miller during a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday.

Miller said the government was planning to introduce "further measures" to "reinforce programme integrity and reduce LMIA fraud such as removing additional points that candidates receive for Express Entry for having a job offer."