Table Of ContentRecruiting Immigrant Workers
CANADA
Canada has not only the largest in terms of numbers, but also the most elaborate and longest-standing skilled
labour migration system in the OECD. Largely as a result of many decades of managed labour migration, more
Recruiting Immigrant Workers
than one in five people in Canada is foreign-born, one of the highest shares in the OECD. 60% of Canada’s
foreign-born population are highly educated, the highest share OECD-wide. The recent introduction of Express
Entry, a two-step selection system based on an initial pre-sreening of suitable candidates who enter a pool
CANADA
by Expression of Interest and subsequent selection of the most skilled candidates from the pool, has further
enhanced the competitive edge of the selection system relative to other countries. It also ensures that those
with the skills to succeed are admitted to Canada in a quick and efficient way. Core to Canada's success is not
only the elaborate selection system itself, but also the innovation and infrastructure around it, which ensures
constant testing, monitoring and adaptation of its parameters. This includes a comprehensive and constantly
improving data infrastructure, coupled with the capacity to analyse it, and swift policy reaction to new evidence
and emerging challenges.
R
e
c
r
u
it
in
g
Im
m
ig
r
a
n
t
W
Consult this publication on line at https://doi.org/10.1787/4abab00d-en. o
r
k
e
This work is published on the OECD iLibrary, which gathers all OECD books, periodicals and statistical databases. r
s
Visit www.oecd-ilibrary.org for more information. C
A
N
A
D
A
ISBN 978-92-64-35325-1
2019
9HSTCQE*dfdcfb+
Recruiting Immigrant
Workers:
Canada
2019
This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The
opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official
views of OECD member countries.
This document, as well as any data and any map included herein, are without prejudice
to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international
frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
Please cite this publication as:
OECD (2019), Recruiting Immigrant Workers: Canada 2019, Recruiting Immigrant Workers, OECD
Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/4abab00d-en.
ISBN 978-92-64-35325-1 (print)
ISBN 978-92-64-93139-8 (pdf)
Recruiting Immigrant Workers
ISSN 2225-7950 (print)
ISSN 2225-7969 (online)
The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of
such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in
the West Bank under the terms of international law.
Photo credits: Cover © Jonathan Evans/Immagine ltd.
Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/about/publishing/corrigenda.htm.
© OECD 2019
You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and
multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable
acknowledgement of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should
be submitted to [email protected]. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be
addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at [email protected] or the Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie
(CFC) at [email protected].
FOREWORD 3
Foreword
This review of Canada’s labour migration policy is the tenth in a series conducted
by the OECD Secretariat as a follow-up to the 2009 High Level Policy Forum on
International Migration. The rationale for this initiative was the recent growth in
labour migration observed in many countries and the likelihood that recourse to
labour migration would increase in the context of demographic ageing. Prior to the
global economic crisis of the late 2000s, many countries had made substantial
changes to labour migration policies with a view to facilitating recruitment from
abroad. With the introduction of these changes, more prominence was accorded to
the question of their effectiveness, and more broadly to the objectives of labour
migration policy in general. Although the economic crisis put a damper on labour
migration movements, it did not stop them entirely, and interest in labour migration
policy is unlikely to diminish in the near future.
The central objective of labour migration policy is to help meet those labour market
needs which cannot be satisfied through tapping domestic labour supply in a
reasonable timeframe, without adversely affecting the domestic labour market and
without hindering development prospects in vulnerable origin countries. Although
the objective itself can be easily stated, specifying the criteria for assessing the
success of policy in achieving it is a complex matter. It involves evaluating how
well labour market needs have been identified and whether migration has had an
impact on the labour market, both of which are analytically difficult.
This series of reviews addresses the question of whether labour migration policy is
effective in meeting labour market needs without adverse effects, and whether the
policy is efficient. To address these questions, this review aims to analyse two key
areas: i) the labour migration system and its characteristics, in terms of policies in
place and the labour migrants who arrive; and ii) the extent to which it is responding
to the current and forecasted needs of the domestic labour market, as well as any
impact on the latter.
Canada faces a similar discussion as other OECD countries regarding the capacity
of its labour migration policy to meet current but also unknown future skill needs.
It is in this context that Canada requested the OECD review its labour migration
policy. Since 2015, Canada introduced a federal expression of interest system
(Express Entry) for the selection of permanent high-skilled labour migrants,
overhauled its temporary foreign worker programme, piloted new immigration
programmes and enhanced the role played by provincial and territorial governments
in labour migration management.
Canada is a nation built on immigration and immigration is also key to maintaining
a high-skilled workforce in Canada. This review assesses the performance of the
RECRUITING IMMIGRANT WORKERS: CANADA © OECD 2019
4 FOREWORD
new permanent labour migration system in international comparison, following its
first years of operation. It also considers the role of temporary migration policy in
the specific context of a country with a large permanent migration system. Finally,
it looks at the possibilities of provinces and territories to select migrants, the
characteristics of the latter, and the impact of this selection in a country where all
permanent labour migrants enjoy nationwide mobility.
RECRUITING IMMIGRANT WORKERS: CANADA © OECD 2019
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 5
Acknowledgements
This review was drafted by the OECD’s International Migration Division. Chapters
1-3 were prepared by Elisabeth Kamm with contributions from Sankar Ramasamy,
Erik Krassoi Peach and Martina Belmonte. Chapter 4 was prepared by Ana Damas
de Matos. Thomas Liebig co-ordinated the report. It benefitted from valuable
comments by Jonathan Chaloff, Jean-Christophe Dumont, Veronique Gindrey,
Philippe Herve and Mark Pearson. Joanne Dundon, Liv Gudmundson, Anna
Tarutina and Lauren Thwaites provided publication support.
This review would not have been possible without the support of Immigration,
Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Canadian Delegate to the OECD Working
Party on Migration, Mr. Matt de Vlieger. The Secretariat would like to thank
Employment and Social Development Canada as well as Statistics Canada for data
provided and valuable comments. Special thanks go to Yehuala Dagnachew,
Colleen Dempsey, Ying Gai, Martha Justus, Ümit Kiziltan, Stanley Kustec,
Stephanie Leung, Scott McLeish, Corinne Prince, Zhining Qi, Danijela Stojanovic,
Arthur Sweetman, Fraser Valentine and Xiaoyi Yan for their support and advice
throughout the project. The OECD Secretariat would like to thank the Canadian
authorities involved in this project and, indeed, all of their contacts in Canada who
provided timely information and responded to the numerous questions raised.
RECRUITING IMMIGRANT WORKERS: CANADA © OECD 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS 7
Table of contents
Foreword ................................................................................................................................................ 3
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ 5
Acronyms and abbreviations .............................................................................................................. 11
Executive summary ............................................................................................................................. 13
Assessment and recommendations ..................................................................................................... 17
Summary of main policy recommendations ...................................................................................... 27
Chapter 1. Context for labour migration to Canada ....................................................................... 29
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 30
Overview of labour migration flows and the economic and demographic context ........................... 31
Evolution of Canadian immigration policy ........................................................................................ 40
Key actors in the management of labour migration to Canada .......................................................... 51
Composition of labour migration to Canada ...................................................................................... 54
Notes .................................................................................................................................................. 60
References .......................................................................................................................................... 62
Chapter 2. Permanent labour migration ........................................................................................... 65
Evolution of the Points-Based System ............................................................................................... 66
Express Entry ..................................................................................................................................... 71
Key issues in the functioning of Express Entry ................................................................................. 85
Federal permanent labour migration outside of Express Entry ........................................................ 109
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 111
Notes ................................................................................................................................................ 113
References ........................................................................................................................................ 115
Annex 2.A. Canada’s points system and process comparison ......................................................... 119
Chapter 3. Temporary labour migration ........................................................................................ 123
Overview of temporary labour migrant groups................................................................................ 124
Common issues for the management of temporary labour migration .............................................. 153
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 164
Notes ................................................................................................................................................ 166
References ........................................................................................................................................ 169
Chapter 4. Provincial migration management ................................................................................ 171
The interaction between the federal and the provincial governments in selecting labour migrants 172
Federal versus provincial programmes: a comparison between Canada and Australia ................... 179
Economic immigrants selected by federal and by provincial governments: A comparison ............ 180
Inter-provincial mobility of labour immigrants ............................................................................... 188
Settlement of provincially selected immigrants within provinces ................................................... 194
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 196
RECRUITING IMMIGRANT WORKERS: CANADA © OECD 2019
8 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Notes ................................................................................................................................................ 198
References ........................................................................................................................................ 199
Tables
Table 1.1. Departments in charge of Canadian immigration policy, 1887 to present ........................... 41
Table 1.2. Canada’s immigration levels plan for economic immigration, 2019-21 .............................. 54
Table 2.1. Evolution of the Points-Based System (current FSW entry grid) 1967 to present ............... 69
Table 2.2. FSW entry grid points allocation .......................................................................................... 77
Table 2.3. Total points allocation in the Comprehensive Ranking System ........................................... 79
Table 2.4. Points for core and human capital factors in the CRS .......................................................... 79
Table 2.5. Points distribution in EOI systems ....................................................................................... 83
Table 2.6. Skill transferability points in the CRS .................................................................................. 84
Table 2.7. How the CRS values foreign and Canadian work and study experience ............................. 95
Table 2.8. Most common occupations among invitations issued in percent, 2015-18 ........................ 101
Table 3.1. Median hourly wages in CAD by province or territory...................................................... 129
Table 3.2. Key assessment criteria by TFW Program streams ............................................................ 134
Table 3.3. Processing times of TFW work permit applications, 2015-18 ........................................... 138
Table 3.4. Refusal rates of TFW work permit applications, 2015-18 ................................................. 138
Table 3.5. Completed TFW Program inspections, by fiscal year and outcome .................................. 139
Table 3.6. Completed IMP inspections by fiscal year and outcome ................................................... 148
Table 3.7. International students by citizenship and sign year, 2015-18 ............................................. 150
Table 3.8. Study permit approval rate in % by province, 2014-18 ...................................................... 153
Table 4.1. Provincial Nominees, agreements and PA admissions by province in 2017 ...................... 174
Table 4.2. Education level of provincially and federally selected labour immigrants (PAs) .............. 182
Table 4.3. Skill type of intended occupations of provincially and federally selected labour
immigrants ................................................................................................................................... 184
Table 4.4. Share of immigrants reporting employment earnings by PT of landing and immigration
programme................................................................................................................................... 186
Annex Table 2.A.1. Comprehensive Ranking System ........................................................................ 119
Annex Table 2.A.2. EOI systems in comparison ................................................................................ 122
Figures
Figure 1.1. Permanent labour immigration in selected OECD countries, 2017 .................................... 31
Figure 1.2. Acquisition of nationality among immigrants ..................................................................... 32
Figure 1.3. Percentage of tertiary-educated native- and foreign-born ................................................... 33
Figure 1.4. Talent shortage in international comparison, 2018 ............................................................. 36
Figure 1.5. Permanent landed economic immigrants, 2017 .................................................................. 37
Figure 1.6. Permanent landed economic immigrants relative to population, 2017 ............................... 38
Figure 1.7. Old-age dependency ratio ................................................................................................... 39
Figure 1.8. Difference between age-related entries and exits from the working-age population in
OECD countries, based on the 2015 population............................................................................ 39
Figure 1.9. Total and relative annual permanent migration inflows, 1860 to 2020............................... 42
Figure 1.10. Labour immigrants by province and migration programme, 2017 ................................... 45
Figure 1.11. Totals and shares of permanent immigrants by entry stream, 1980-2020......................... 48
RECRUITING IMMIGRANT WORKERS: CANADA © OECD 2019
