Canada's Point(less) System for Immigration
Canada's dodgy history of immigration
Canada is well known across the globe for its 'welcoming' immigration policies and identifies as a multicultural haven for all. However, most Canadians (especially those of us who were born here) aren't aware of the nitty-gritty details of our immigration system, and how problematic and exclusionary it really is.
This country's had a pretty brutal history with immigration - from the Chinese Exclusion Act and head taxes, to Japanese Internment Camps; the enslavement of Black people, and turning away Jewish refugees fleeing from Nazi Germany.
But just because our immigration system no longer explicitly looks at race or religion, doesn't mean everything is sunshine and roses. Through the current system, Canada continues to design its immigration policies in a way that prioritizes whiteness.
News flash: Migrants deserve rights
Many of us are so privileged that we've never had to think about immigration, which makes this process feels so far removed from us. We're privileged because we had no say in where we were born, and benefit from the colonial-made borders that are Canada.
As a result, we don't know what it feels like to struggle for citizenship in a country that doesn't want us. We don't know how our friends and coworkers have fought through discriminatory bureaucracy just to live and work in this country they've grown to love.
But immigration is an issue that needs to be close to our hearts. Immigrants are such a valuable part of our community - they bring vibrancy to this country, and they work overtime to do it. If anyone loves Canada, it's the people who fight every day just to be here.
Many people from the global majority (BIPOC) leave their ancestral lands because it was/is systemically destabilized by colonization and imperialism. Canada, which is a former. British colony, benefited from that.
What is point-based immigration?
Along with Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK, Canada in one of a few nations that have implemented a point-based or "merit-based" immigration system to rank immigrants based on their perceived ability to fulfil Canada's labour needs.
While this was set up in 1967 in attempts to shift away from a system favouring white immigrant populations and bring in a more even distribution across demographics, this is not what the process looks like in practice.
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores applicants in categories like education, age, language proficiency, job experience, and 'skill level,' and applicants need a min. of 67 points to even be considered.
Although the system is supposed to be objective, we know that systemic biases can exist and in this case the criteria still favours immigrants from certain countries and racial backgrounds. It doesn't sound very 'multiculturalism immigrant-friendly' to us.
The point system is discriminatory
While the government initially implemented this system for what sounds like a good reason, it introduces serious systematic flaws into the immigration process:
Let's be real, this immigration system is FULL of almost every form of discrimination you can get.
Ageism: young immigrants are preferred to older applicants.
Racism: because of colonialism and the systemic subjugation of the Global South, Global North countries are more likely to have 'desired traits' such as language, 'acceptable' education, and that sweet cash money.
Classism: not everyone has access to foreign universities, or the means to pay for language classes. Not to mention the endless processing fees, the lower class just can't afford to immigrate.
Plus, reaching 67 points doesn't even guarantee acceptance. The more points the better, so those who have more cash are more likely to rack up points and snag immigration status.
The 'value' of an immigrant
The points system also sends a real strong message by literally ranking the value of people... yikes. Can someone please explain to us why we're still stuck in these hyper-capitalist systems that treat real human beings as tools to be exploited and thrown out like trash??
Obviously we understand the need to ensure that our immigrants will contribute to the economy, given how capitalistic our world is. But immigrants are the invisible backbone of our economy, and we can't afford to be the kind of country that covertly discriminates on what type of immigrant is 'worth more' than others.
We've seen what happens when the worth of real people is determined only by their 'economic value.' People are dehumanized, their lives become replaceable - and this burden always falls upon BIPOC and other marginalized folks. Currently this results in migrants being forced into precarious living and working conditions, and historically this resulted in colonialism, slavery, and genocide.
Dehumanization in practice
Immigration should serve both the country of destination and the people immigrating. The point-based system favours the economic wellbeing of the country way more than the real lives of immigrants.
The idea that there are 'desirable immigrants' just reinforces that all other immigrants (who tend to be POC) aren't worth letting into Canada. And who gets to decide what types of immigrants or skills are 'desirable' to begin with? Oh yeah, that's right: cis-het Christian white people.
College/University degrees from foreign institutions are practically worthless in the immigration process here. It doesn't matter if you were a doctor or lawyer or whatever other 'high-skilled' job you had back home - if it's not Canadian experience, Canada doesn't want it.
Post-immigration: Newcomer experience
Even if you're one of 'the lucky ones' and you are chosen to immigrate to Canada, many highly-skilled immigrants still face significant barriers to finding employment. If their professional degree was from a foreign university, immigrants are simply not allowed to do the work that they are highly trained for.
There are skilled doctors driving Ubers while our healthcare system collapses, just because our government refuses to validate foreign experience.
University educated newcomers earn an average of 67% of their Canadian-born, university educated counterparts. In study after study, skilled immigrants are far more likely to be in 'low-skill' (remember skill level is bullshit capitalism) jobs, even years after they first arrived. And we're haven't even got to the part about applying for permanent residency and citizenship.
What's the alternative?
Obviously merit-based immigration is deeply flawed, and while there are ways we can fine-tune the system, they do not solve the issue:
The state will always privilege sovereignty and the control of people over human rights and protections.
So we can change things: We can make sure that Canada grants permanent status to migrants working in specified industries (like construction, education, or healthcare). We can end the reduction of foreign qualifications and allow skilled people to work in the fields they are trained for. We can provide migrant workers with improved pathways towards Permanent Residency that grant them rights and prevents their illegalization.
We need to rethink the way we construct our borders and our immigration system entirely. We need to center our privilege and power as a country and consider how to create a system that isn't still rooted in bias and discrimination of people from the global majority.
So, what's next?
Understanding why our immigration system is flawed is key to improving the process for newcomers to Canada. A system that immigrants as disposable workers, rather than human beings who cannot be arbitrarily valued, is not a system that should be around anymore.
Our immigration policy must remove the hierarchy that places Canadian work experience and university degrees over those from foreign countries. We need to advocate for permanent residency status for all migrants currently living in Canada, regardless of their skill level.
Let's rethink our immigration system:
What would a more intersectional immigration policy look like?
How do we prevent the de-skilling of immigrant experience? How do we end the skilled/unskilled binary?
What values and traits could and should be prioritized in the immigration process?
How do we ensure an agile and human-centered system while also preventing a backlog in applications?
How do we improve the experience for newcomers?
