A measure allowing the immigration minister to invite Express Entry candidates based on an economic objective is close to being passed by the Canadian government.

The Senate is at this moment debating Bill C-19. If approved, it would grant the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) the power to select candidates for Express Entry based on their profession, language proficiency, intended country of residence, or any other factor that benefits Canada's economic objectives.

In a face-to-face interview with CIC News, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser expressed his hope that the bill would be approved by the Senate and that the additional powers would soon be put into effect. Even though Express Entry gives Canada a competitive edge, the minister acknowledged there is still potential for improvement.

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The current state of [the Express Entry system] prevents us from tailoring invites to apply to the Express Entry system to suit those in-demand skills or qualifications, Fraser said. "If there are special issues that your economy is having, it may be facing in the long run," Fraser said.

"The Express Entry framework as it exists today is probably going to get individuals that probably won't be impeccably matched to the necessities of the Canadian economy in the event that you're in a circumstance where you have an overflow of applications that are across the board-specific sectors and that sector doesn't have high requirements in Canada."

With the expanded powers, IRCC would be able to use selection criteria based on industry, geography, and linguistic proficiency to meet Canada's labor needs. According to the minister, by doing this, Canada will be able to choose more immigrants who are already well-suited for employment.

The objective, according to Fraser, is to maximize a newcomer's ability to contribute to their communities in order to prepare them for success upon arrival and ensure that they will satisfy the demands of the area in which they will live. I predict that retention rates could rise as a result of people entering positions where they are aware of prospects because that was the premise for their invitation to apply.

The additional powers, according to the bill's detractors, may let special interest organizations advocate for a particular kind of candidate. In earlier versions of the law, changes were made to reflect the necessity of an open selection procedure. Fraser was aware of this issue.

"I would be heading down a very dangerous path if I sat in my office in Ottawa and started deciding what regions and what sectors should benefit from this new strategy," Fraser said. I must interact with members of the neighborhood community. I must communicate with my territorial and provincial counterparts. In order to understand their demands, I need to interact with business councils and sectors that have a lot of wants.

Bill C-19's Express Entry amendments won't take effect unless the governor-general of Canada grants it royal assent.