On 22nd December, after almost more than a year, Canada conducted an all-stream draw for Express Entry applicants.
The applicants who received the invite were already allotted 600 extra points in their CRS score. That happened via the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). As a result, the cutoff for the recent draw was kept at 720.
Since September, the Canadian immigration department of the country has been conducting draws only for PNP applicants. According to interim reports, the step has been implemented to clear off the backlogs. They are trying to reduce the backlog to 50% before considering other streams and pathways.
In the last draw for PNP, the country was able to send out 1,032 invites, and the threshold was 698.
12 months since all stream draws
It has been around 12 months since the country held an all-stream draw. The immigration department did not work at all on the below-mentioned streams:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
The applications for both streams have been in an idle state since 23rd December 2020.
The department has conducted only Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and PNP-specific draws during this period.
The strategy was to focus on applicants who are likely to reside in Maple country, facilitating a smoother transition and increased count for PR. Until June, overseas applicants for PR were not allowed to enter the land of snow (Canada) due to the outbreak. However, this action led to an increment in the backlog of other programs and streams.
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser made an announcement on the subject “I anticipate as we go forward, we are going to have a healthy mix of people who are here with some experience in Canada now and other employees who may not yet be here that will come to Canada through a program such as the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, as the public health situation allows.”
Since the outbreak started, the country has conducted 35 draws specifically for PNPs. In those draws, they invited over 19,000 applicants. On the other hand, they held 27 draws for CEC, which allowed them to invite over 133,000 applicants. And since then, only 11 draws have been held for all streams, including FSWP.
This year, the department was able to invite more applicants from Express Entry than it did in 2020. The major contribution to this was the record-breaking draw on 13th February, which sent invites to 27,332 applicants.
The threshold has been relatively high due to PNP-specific draws. And due to getting a nomination, the chances for such applicants have improved for getting a call in the next draw.
Understanding Express Entry
It is a platform developed by the immigration department of Canada to manage the details of new applicants. The platform helps handle the below mentioned federal streams:
- Canadian Experience Class,
- Federal Skilled Worker Program, and
- Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Applicants for PNP are already eligible/qualified for any of the above-mentioned streams.
The platform uses the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to allot points to applicants based on their demographic details. Individuals who get the maximum score have a chance to get an invite in the next round of invites. After getting the invite, they need to apply for PR with relevant documents. An officer at the immigration department reviews the details/docs to conclude a final say on the application. They have the authority to request biometrics and may ask for more doc if not satisfied. Sometimes they may ask you to come for an interview as well.
Finally, after the approval, you will gain a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). The document helps you transit into permanent residency and, if you are overseas, then helps with landing and the rest of the settling requirements.
Who got the invite?
Let us discuss a hypothetical scenario to show who may have got an invite.
Nemanja is 38 years old and has completed a bachelor’s degree. He has functioned in the construction sector. He has 6 years and 2 months of full-time experience. He has a good command of English. However, he has not worked in Canada. Nemanja updated his details on the Express Entry platform to obtain 384 points. However, he was able to secure a nomination from Alberta. That made his score 984, making him eligible for the invite in the Express Entry draw.
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