MP Jenny Kwan Statement on Changes to Express Entry
The recent changes reflect the government’s elitist view that the people who make the most money are the most valuable immigrants. This offensive notion that a person’s worth is determined by their salary does not reflect the values of Canadians. Under this approach, workers who fall below the government’s high-wage threshold risk being left behind, including essential workers, caregivers, health-care workers and tradespeople whose contributions are indispensable to our communities and economy. Their value cannot be reduced to the size of a paycheque.
The government is also creating serious risks by offering up to 100 additional Express Entry points for qualifying high-wage job offers without requiring a Labour Market Impact Assessment, or LMIA. The existing LMIA system has already been plagued by fraud, including the illicit buying and selling of assessments. Removing this requirement without demonstrating that equivalent safeguards are in place raises serious concerns about the integrity of the immigration system. Instead of the LMIA process, individual immigration officers will be responsible for verifying whether job offers are genuine and employers are legitimate businesses. This will place additional demands on an already stretched system, create opportunities for fraud and risk increasing processing times.
There is another fundamental concern: without the LMIA process, the government will no longer assess through that mechanism whether Canadians are available to fill these positions. This is an important tool to assess if there is a genuine need to go outside of Canada to fill these positions.
Canada needs an immigration system that values workers fairly, protects people from exploitation and responds to genuine labour-market needs—not one that privileges high earners while leaving essential workers behind.
The government must establish clear, stable pathways to permanent residency for people already in Canada, including international graduates and temporary workers who have contributed to their communities. Immigration selection should reflect the full range of Canada's labour needs, not simply prioritize higher-wage occupations.
We are seeing a pattern of policy lurching on immigration from the Carney government that is creating confusion and chaos for people navigating the system. International students, temporary workers and families make major decisions about education, employment and their futures based on government rules. When those rules repeatedly change, people are left wondering whether their investments and contributions will still count. The government cannot keep moving the goalposts and expect people to plan their lives with confidence. Canada needs a coherent, long-term immigration strategy with predictable pathways, clear objectives and fair transition measures. The immigration system has gone backwards under the Carney government. This government has directly caused chaos on the immigration file.
