Under the current system of immigration, when an Immigration Officer calculates points for total work experience, he/she will usually only award points for work experience occurring AFTER the required education has been earned.

However, in the new system, it is expected that, in many cases, all work experience will be counted (as long as that work experience is of a certain level).

Nevertheless, if an applicant has not yet completed post-secondary education in the new system, it may be a factor that will count against that applicant, both in terms of a final point total, or the potential use of positive discretion. In other words, under the new system, if an applicant has not yet completed any post secondary education, it may make the use of positive discretion in that applicant's favor less likely. It will also reduce the overall point total, since the applicant will earn less points for education.