The Independent Skilled worker’s point system is designed to select immigrants who will be able to settle successfully in Canada. However, like any system, there will be instances where an immigrant’s point assessment doesn’t accurately reflect his or her chances of successfully establishing themselves in Canada. In such cases, an Immigration Officer, with the approval of a Senior Immigration officer, can do a subjective evaluation of the immigrant’s ability to successfully settle in Canada, and substitute his or her evaluation for the point system assessment. This process is called a “Substituted Evaluation”.

Substituted evaluations can work both ways. If an applicant’s point assessment is below the current pass mark, a Substituted Evaluation can allow the applicant to pass if the Immigration officer determines that the applicant is likely to be able to establish himself or herself in Canada. Similarly, if the applicant’s point assessment is more than the pass mark, an Immigration officer can refuse the case if he or she determines that the applicant is not likely to be able to successfully establish himself or herself in Canada.

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