The Surrey Board of Trade has sent a letter to Immigration minister Marc Miller to express concerns about the proposal to remove the 50 points awarded to permanent residence applicants through a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for certain job tiers.\
The letter states, “The current tier level job system recognizes roles requiring specialized skills and education, ensuring that Canada attracts talented individuals equipped to meet our labour market needs. These points not only help skilled workers contribute to Canada’s economic growth but also support employers who rely on these individuals for roles demanding expertise and knowledge that cannot be easily sourced locally. Moreover, for many applicants such as skilled workers with extensive experience from their home countries, these points can be critical to achieving a successful permanent residence application. For instance, an individual with seven years of professional experience from their home country may only be able to count three of those years toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. Given the current high CRS thresholds, the 50 LMIA points could make a significant difference in helping such skilled applicants meet the required score and contribute to Canada’s workforce.”
“The Minister indicated that he is considering removing the LMIA points for permanent residence applications as a result of concerns regarding fraudulent job offers being sold for thousands of dollars,” said Jasroop Gosal, Interim Spokesperson and Policy & Research Manager. “While we also share these concerns of individuals taking advantage of the system, the LMIA points are a signal to the world that we are welcoming to skilled and talented individuals. Given the current high Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) thresholds, the 50 LMIA points could make a significant difference in helping such skilled applicants meet the required score and contribute to Canada’s workforce.”
“Canada is facing a skills shortage in many fields, including health sciences and clean technology, and these skilled workers are highly sought after. Without the points, these individuals may decide to leave Canada, resulting in a brain-drain effect occurring.”
SBOT is urging the government to focus on enhanced regulations and measures to verify the legitimacy of job offers. This approach would target fraudulent practices while protecting employers who genuinely rely on the LMIA system to attract and retain talent essential for their operations.
