Latest news with #MatthewJeffery
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Married? You just lost 40 points; How Canada's immigration system is rewarding singles and punishing families
Canada 's immigration system, which was long praised for its meritocratic and transparent points-based approach, is now drawing criticism for unintentionally putting married applicants at a disadvantage. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) used to evaluate skilled worker candidates under Express Entry awards significantly more points to those who are single, or who declare their spouse as "non-accompanying." Under the CRS, a candidate without an accompanying spouse can gain up to 40 extra points out of a possible 600. These points can make or break a candidate's success in receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villa For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search ads Learn More Undo With immigration targets tightening and the minimum cutoff scores rising, most recently reaching 529 points on June 12, 2025, this loophole is becoming increasingly consequential. Immigration lawyer Matthew Jeffery explains that the system only favors married applicants when their spouse is highly educated, fluent in English or French, and has relevant work experience. 'If the spouse does not have these things, it can result in a lower score for the primary applicant,' he says. Live Events Declaring spouse as non-accompanying To preserve their chances, applicants may legally declare their spouse as non-accompanying, essentially postponing their spouse's immigration and allowing the principal applicant to retain a higher score. 'This is not manipulation,' says Calgary-based immigration consultant Mandeep Lidher. 'It is a lawful and system-sanctioned pathway for applicants who may otherwise be disadvantaged by their spouse's limited language scores, education, or lack of Canadian work experience.' Procedural fairness letters Ottawa is aware of the practice and has begun issuing procedural fairness letters (PFLs) to applicants suspected of using the rule deceptively. In one letter, an immigration officer expressed 'serious concerns' over a married applicant declaring their spouse as non-accompanying, despite both individuals already living in Canada. 'It appears that you have decided to include your spouse as 'non-accompanying' to meet the minimum required score,' the officer wrote, adding that the applicant would not have qualified if the spouse had been listed as accompanying. Misrepresentation can lead to refusal and ban While it is legal to declare a spouse as non-accompanying if done transparently, experts warn that misrepresentation, such as hiding marital status or falsely claiming a spouse will remain abroad, can lead to application refusal and even a five-year ban from reapplying. 'Honesty is paramount,' Toronto-based immigration consultant Kubeir Kamal told CTV News . The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) emphasized its zero-tolerance stance on misrepresentation: 'If a spouse is declared as not accompanying while the intent is for the spouse to come with the principal applicant, an officer may find that the applicant misrepresented themselves.' Canada prepares to lower its annual immigration targets, dropping from 500,000 in 2024 to 395,000 in 2025, and further still in 2026 and 2027, but the margin for error has narrowed.
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Points-based immigration system favours single PR applicants over married couples, experts say
Canada's points-based immigration system can give a slight boost to applicants who are single. To get an edge, some married permanent residency candidates are saying their spouse won't accompany them to score as many as 40 extra points out of a possible 600. Immigration lawyer Matthew Jeffery says the points system only benefits married applicants if their spouse is well-educated, proficient in English or French, and has the right work experience. 'However, if the spouse does not have these things, it can result in a lower score for the primary applicant,' Jeffery said. 'To avoid losing points as a result of a poorly qualified spouse, an applicant can list their spouse as non-accompanying. This means that they will not immigrate to Canada at the same time as the primary applicant, but will remain in the home country.' Calgary-based immigration consultant Mandeep Lidher describes the practice as fairly common. He says married applicants face a 'systemic disadvantage' under the current points system for skilled workers. 'This structural imbalance incentivizes the lawful use of the non-accompanying spouse option,' Lidher told 'This is a lawful and system-sanctioned pathway for applicants who may otherwise be disadvantaged by their spouse's limited language scores, education, or lack of Canadian work experience.' Instead of applying at the same time, it can therefore be beneficial for only one person to apply for permanent residency, then sponsor their spouse to accompany them later through family reunification channels. 'No, this is not manipulation,' Lidher explained. 'An applicant only breaches the law if they engage in misrepresentation … that is, by withholding their marital status or falsely declaring a spouse as non-accompanying, when they actually intend to immigrate together.' 'To game the system' Ottawa is aware of the practice and has warned some applicants about misrepresenting their situation. Lidher provided a copy of an April 2025 'procedural fairness letter' that was sent to a permanent residency applicant. In it, a Canadian immigration processing officer expressed 'serious concerns' over the married applicant declaring themselves unaccompanied, despite already living in Canada with their foreign spouse. 'It appears that you have decided to include your spouse as 'non-accompanying' to meet the minimum required score because you earn more points if you don't have a spouse or common-law partner or if they are not coming with you to Canada,' the officer wrote. 'It also appears you would not have met the minimum required score if your spouse was included in your application as an accompanying dependent.' Canada's points-based immigration system has become increasingly competitive, especially since Ottawa announced in October that it would reduce permanent residency targets by at least 20 per cent from 500,000 to 395,000 permanent residents in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027. The minimum number of points needed to be able to apply for permanent residency has been edging upwards. While numbers can fluctuate, the lowest-ranked candidate on June 12 under the Canadian experience stream had a total of 529 points – that's up from the 368-point cutoff recorded four years earlier on June 10, 2021. When someone applies to be considered for permanent residency through the Express Entry online system for skilled workers, profiles are scored through what's known as the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which awards points based on factors like age, education, work experience and language skills. 'Canada's Express Entry system is designed to select skilled immigrants who will thrive, but honesty is paramount,' Toronto-based immigration consultant Kubeir Kamal told 'Declaring a spouse as non-accompanying, if such circumstances exist, is a valid option if done transparently, but actually misrepresenting marital status to game the system risks severe consequences, including application refusal and bans.' In a statement to a spokesperson from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said the department is committed to protecting against fraud and misrepresentation. 'Misrepresentation includes providing false information or withholding information,' the IRCC spokesperson said. 'If a spouse is declared as not accompanying while the intent is for the spouse to come with the principal applicant, an officer may find that the applicant misrepresented themselves to get more CRS points.'
