On November 10, Canada invited 775 Express entry applicants to apply for permanent residence.
All of the invited candidates had already received nominations through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Since provincial nominees are automatically priced at 600 points, the score was 685. Without the nomination, the nominee with the fewest points would have received only 85 points.
Recently, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) only selected PNP candidates from the Express Entry pool. In the previous draw, IRCC invited 888 applicants with scores of at least 744.
Today’s draw had the second lowest cut-off score in this category since IRCC started running PNP-only draws in March 2020. The lowest score requirement for a PNP draw was produced in March 2021.
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Why only PNP draws?
Since the start of the pandemic, IRCC has focused on admitting immigrants who are already in the country. When the Canadian government closed the border, it also closed the door to people whose permanent residence was approved from outside Canada.
Restrictions prohibiting approved permanent residents from arriving persisted between March 2020 and June 2021. During this period, IRCC most often held Express Entry draws inviting PNP and Canadian experience class candidates (CEC). For a period in 2020, they held raffles of all programs, which included Skilled Foreign Worker Program candidates (FSWP) as well as Skilled Trades Abroad Program Applicants (FSTP) (although FSTP applicants got their own draw in August 2020, as their scores tend to be lower than other programs).
As of January 2021, IRCC has only held Express Entry draws for PNP and CEC applicants. While CEC applicants are more likely to be already in Canada, PNP applicants have demonstrated to a Canadian province or territory that their immigration would bring economic benefit to the region.
For the last five Express Entry draws, IRCC invited only PNP applicants to apply for permanent residence. If IRCC did not invite these applicants, it would be impossible for provinces and territories to meet their immigration goals, which often complement economic and population growth strategies.
Over the summer months, IRCC stepped up the CEC’s draws, calling on a record 6,000 at a time to meet the Immigration Department’s revised plan to admit 141,000 CEC applicants in 2021. Invitations issued after July would likely not be processed until the end of the year. , according to an internal score obtained by CIC News through an access to information request.
This figure is much more ambitious than the immigration levels plan, which indicates that IRCC aims to admit at least 108,500 immigrants through the Express Entry system in 2021. Although not everyone who receives an invitation will be granted permanent residence, IRCC has already invited more than enough to achieve this goal for the year. Additionally, those who are invited to this draw and the draws for the rest of the year will likely have their applications processed in the New Year.
At this point, Immigration Canada aims to admit 110,500 Express Entry applicants in 2022. However, that could change when new immigration targets are announced.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is the application management system for Canada’s three most popular immigration programs: the Canadian experience class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. Express Entry PNP applicants have already qualified for one of these programs.
Express Entry uses a points-based system, the Comprehensive filing system (CRS), to classify candidate profiles. The highest rated applicants receive a Invitation to apply (ITA), and can then apply for permanent residence.
From there, an IRCC officer reviews their application and makes a decision. They will ask for biometric data and can arrange an interview or request more documents.
If the application is approved, IRCC issues a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). Approved permanent residents can then complete the settlement process. If they are outside of Canada, they can access services before arrival to help them in the first steps of settle in Canada.
Who was invited?
The following is a hypothetical example of someone who may have received an ITA in the new Express Entry draw.
Khaled and Mona married and are 34 and 31 years old respectively. They all have a bachelor’s degree and each passed IELTS and obtained an 8 in listening and a 7 in reading, speaking and writing. Mona has worked as a software engineer for three years while Khaled has worked in human resources for four years. They entered the Express Entry pool with Mona as the principal applicant and a CRS score of 421. Mona subsequently received a provincial nomination from the province of Ontario. Monta’s CRS score increased to 1,021 and she received an invitation to apply for permanent residence in the new Express Entry draw.
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