IEC work permit holders face earlier CRS cut-off for jobs. The employer-specific work permit no longer obtains CRS scores for arranged employment if their work permit was issued after December 18, 2024. 

This change, resulting from changes to the authority under which IEC work permits are issued, affects work permit holders under the IEC’s Young Professionals work permits category. 

The Young Professionals category of the IEC is the only work permit category of the IEC under which applicants could obtain an additional 50 or 200 CRS points for having a valid job offer. 

IEC work permit holders who had their permits issued before December 18, 2024, will continue to obtain points for arranged employment, provided that they meet all other requirements for a valid job offer. 

This points removal comes significantly sooner than the planned removal of all bonus CRS points for valid job offers, which is planned for the spring of 2025. 

Implications For IEC Work Permit Holders In The Express Entry Pool 

IEC work permit holders face earlier CRS cut-off for jobs. Well, Express Entry applicants presently obtain points for new confirmed offers of employment, provided that the job offer meets eligibility requirements. 

Applicants can obtain an additional:

  • 200 CRS points for job offers at the National Occupation Classification Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (NOC TEER) 0 level that are part of major group 00
  • 50 CRS points for job offers under the NOCs

The NOC system is Canada’s method of categorizing and describing professions in the country, organizing them by sector and industry. Parallel to this, the TEER system assigns a level to each occupation in the NOC system based on the requisite amount of training, education, and experience required to perform the responsibilities of the role. 

The government has declared that the pending removal of all CRS points for arranged employment will take effect in the Spring of 2025. 

IEC work permit holders in the Express Entry applicant pool will, therefore, face an expedited timeline for the removal of CRS points related to their arranged employment. 

This removal of these points implies that some applicants in the Express Entry pool who presently claim arranged employment points through a Young Professionals work permit will lose either 50 or 200 CRS points. This demonstrates a substantial shift in their chances of obtaining an invitation to apply through the Express Entry system. 

Moreover, IEC work permit holders who obtained their work permit after December 18, 2024, will see their points removed sooner than applicants who presently claim arranged employment points via other work permits. This might further negatively impact their chances of obtaining an ITA since some other applicants in the Express Entry pool can continue to benefit from the additional CRS points for valid job offers until the spring. 

According to an IRCC officer, the department is presently in the process of updating its systems and web content in accordance with the removal of these points. 

Why Did This Change Occur? 

IEC work permit holders face earlier CRS cut-off for jobs. However, it is not clear why this change to arranged employment through the IEC Young Professionals category has taken place prior to the broader changes in spring. 

The immigration department first declared in December of 2024 that they intended to remove CRS points for applicants with arranged employment based on the desire to ‘reduce the potential for LMIA fraud.’ 

IRCC later confirmed that they planned to eliminate CRS points allocations for arranged employment in spring 2025. The department also confirmed that this change will impact applicants in the Express Entry pool, but not those who have already submitted an application for permanent residence nor applicants who have obtained an ITA based on a previous CRS score that included points for arranged employment. 

If you seek information on how to begin your Canada immigration application process, you can talk to our NavaImmigration experts at 1800-918-8490, or you can drop us an email at [email protected].