The government of Ottawa has declared that it will make modifications to the electronic processing of visas to make it easier for immigrants to get the permanent residency visa for immigrants who work or study in Canada.

It will make modifications to the express entry visa that awards points to applicants on diverse factors such as education, linguistic ability, age, and work experience. After the allotment of points, the candidates are then assessed for suitability with employers in Canada. These changes will be effective from November 2016.

The Globe and mail was quoted as saying that the changes to the express entry visa will now make it easier for the overseas immigrants who have completed their post-secondary study or are skilled workers, to qualify for the permanent residency.

The Vancouver-based migration consultant, Danielle Lovell has said that the changes to the qualifying criterions are an effort by the government to restructure the system for awarding points to the permanent residency visa. It also reflects the intention of the government to keep the focus of express entry visa on the skilled migrant workers.

The changes to the express entry program have now decreased the significance of having LMIA for the workers with high skills. The workers who are currently in Canada on a provisional work authorization under the LMIA and wish to live in Canada forever do not require the LMIA to obtain the points under the express entry scheme for jobs.

The people who are having a job in Canada under the free trade agreement of North America and the intra-company transfer will be applicable to avail the benefits of these changes. The applicants must have been employed in Canada for a minimum of two years to be eligible for this changed permanent residency rules.

The workers will now be an improved position to contend with the applicants of express entry who still need an LMIA, as the number of points awarded for the evaluation will be decreased. Earlier to the changes, the job offers that were backed with LMIA were of the value of 600 points. With the new changes from November onwards they will be having the value of 200 points for applicants in Higher managerial positions and the value of 50 points for the rest of the jobs.

The objectives of these changes are to make it convenient for the immigrant workers with high skills to obtain the permanent residency visa.

The Immigration Minister of Canada, John McCallum has said that the government is dedicated to drawing overseas immigrants with high skills to come to Canada and obtain the permanent residency as this will enhance the value of the Canadian society and economy. The changes to the express entry visa are one of the several initiatives that are aimed at positively influencing the immigration policies in Canada, he added.

The technology sector of Canada has demanded to the Immigration Minister to assist facilitation of bringing the much needed overseas immigrants with high skills. The CEO and co-founder of the online publishing platform Wattpad, Allen Lau had said that though the technology sector is investing in equipping the local workers with the necessary skills, the number of workers of Canada is very meager when compared to the demand of the industry.

Mr. Lau said that the innovation industry in Canada has to compete with top notch talents across the globe. The positive steps taken by the Immigration Minister will assist the firms like Wattpad to appeal to workers with high skills and remain on par to the international competition, added Lau.