Canada’s CRS helps in making it Most Educated G7 Nation

Well-educated immigrants have helped the workforce in Canada to emerge as the most educated among the G7 Nations. This is because the immigration authorities calculate Canada CRS score and offer PR Visa to the highest scoring candidates. CRS is a point’s based system that offers more points to highly educated candidates.

The highly qualified workforce in Canada has propelled it to the top position amongst the advanced nations.

Statistics Canada has reported that Canada has the highest percentage of the population having University or College credentials than any other G7 Nation. The proportion of people having a Bachelor’s or higher degree continues to increase due to the inflow of well-educated immigrants. Moreover, the number of youths completing graduation is also increasing adds the report.

The Demographic and Statistical agency of Canada published the report on November 30, 2022. It highlighted the significance of a well-educated workforce for the continued economic growth of Canada. It also noted that leveraging these credentials is vital even as a big section of the population in Canada is close to retirement age.

Furthermore, Canada is facing a scarcity of workers, a high rate of employment, a low rate of unemployment, and a record number of job openings. Harnessing well-educated people is vital for ensuring the availability of adequate workers for filling vacancies created by retirements.

The highly educated workers were in a better position to gain fresh jobs during the pandemic.

The Labor Force Survey has highlighted that workers having Bachelor’s or higher degrees were less prone to initial shocks of unemployment in April 2020. Statistics Canada adds that their rate of employment recovered quickly and reached pre-pandemic levels by 2020 November.

However, rates of employment for workers with lower education levels overall did not reach pre-pandemic levels till 2021 autumn.

CRS offers more points to highly educated immigrants

One of the reasons for several immigrants having a high level of education in Canada is the allocation of points under the Comprehensive Ranking System. The candidates in the Express Entry pool are offered PR Visa invitations based on their overall CRS score.

The CRS offers points to candidates based on various selection factors including their education. Candidates having higher levels of education are offered more points.

High school graduates can receive 28 points for educational credentials. Those having Bachelor’s degree can receive up to 112 points while applicants with a Master’s degree can receive 126 points. Doctorate degree holders can receive up to 140 points for their education. This is adequate to make the difference between receiving the ITA or not.

However, there is another factor apart from education that impacts CRS points.

Candidates having work experience in Canada also receive points under CRS. Overseas students in Universities in Canada can obtain this work experience to apply for PR Visa only through a Study Visa.

Many overseas students who arrive in Canada for pursuing Graduate Degrees are offered the PGWP - Post-Graduate Work Permit. The Work Permit is offered after completion of graduation and enables them to obtain even more work experience.

Immigrants constitute 50% of the increase in University Degree holders

Even as immigration levels in Canada reached record-high in 2021, immigrants constituted nearly 50% of the increase in Canadian residents having a Bachelor’s or higher degree.

Work experience obtained in Canada can offer an extra 80 to 70 points. This is based on if the applicant is being accompanied by their common-law partner or spouse or not. The additional time spent in Canada for improving skills in French or English language also gets counted for offering CRS points.

Thus, it is obvious that the immigration programs under Express Entry are inclined to favor overseas students who graduate, work and increase their language skills in Canada.

Meanwhile, the proportion of candidates in Express Entry who are successful in receiving Canada PR from India is also increasing every year.

In the 5 years that were completed in 2021, the working-age population in Canada witnessed a 19.1% increase in the number of individuals having a minimum Bachelor’s degree. Meanwhile, there was only a slight change in those with apprenticeship certificates. It is a huge concern for Canada as innumerable industries seeking tradespeople are witnessing high growth.

The percentage of apprenticeship certificate holders of working age has declined or remained unchanged in 3 vital trades sectors:

• Construction trades – a decline of 0.6%
• Mechanic and Repair technologies – a decline of 7.8%
• Precision Production – a decline of 10%

On the other hand, job openings in a few sectors associated with these trades reached record levels in 2022. These include fabricated metal product manufacturing and construction.