Well, these really are hard-to-believe figures, but indeed, Canada issued an invitation to apply (ITAs) to 27,332 candidates in its recent Express Entry draw.
In this draw (held on February 13), the IRCC included the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates. Furthermore, the candidates participating in this draw were required to have a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of a minimum of 75 points, which is the lowest CRS requirement in the history of the Express Entry system.
Canada’s Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino clarified to the CIC news that “Extending invitations to apply for permanent residency to over 27,000 economic immigrants is the largest single draw ever in the history of our Express Entry system. These aspiring Canadians are already established here, possess valuable skills, and are giving back to their communities. They are hard at work in some of the most essential parts of our economy and are ready to build their future in Canada.”
The Senior Partner of Campbell Cohen, Attorney David Cohen, also made a statement regarding this draw that this Express Entry draw was almost 6X larger than the previous record, which was set at 5,000 ITAs. He further commented that this draw shows Canada’s commitment toward its goal of welcoming 400,000 newcomers this year.
In the four Express Entry draws held between November 18, 2020, and December 23, 2020, Canada invited a total of 5,000 candidates to each draw. The Express Entry system was launched in January 2015, and the CRS cut-off requirement (75 points) set for the draw held on February 13 is the lowest till today. Before this draw, the May 16, 2017 draw had the lowest CRS cut-off was 199 points to which candidates of the Federal Skilled Trades Program were invited.
Moreover, on Wednesday (February 10) in the same week, Canada also conducted a draw for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates and issued 654 invitations. In total, this week, Canada invited 27,986 candidates to apply for permanent resident status.
The federal department of IRCC put the tie-break rule in effect. In other words, only the candidates whose Express Entry profile submission took place before 15:31 UTC on September 12, 2020, and who got a score of at least 75 points were included in this draw.
Undoubtedly, this draw shows the IRCC’s commitment to meeting the target of welcoming 401,000 new immigrants this year. According to the 2021-2023 Immigration Level Plan, out of the total number, the IRCC is expecting to bring 108,500 new candidates through the Express Entry programs. In the following year, this target will increase to 110,500, and then in 2023, this target will go up to 113,750. In these three years, Canada is looking forward to bringing the largest share of new immigrants through the three programs managed by the Express Entry immigration system. In other words, the Express Entry system is going to be the primary source of immigration to Canada in the following years.
Canada’s Immigration Minister also stated that the IRCC would put in all the efforts to achieve the immigration targets, including the transformation of more temporary residents into permanent residents during the pandemic.
This Express Entry draw showed that the IRCC is aiming to welcome more newcomers at the beginning of the year so that they can complete the landings of successful permanent residence candidates in the latter part of the year. With this strategy, IRCC will have greater chances to meet the immigration level target during the pandemic. With this, the Immigration Minister and IRCC never forget to mention the importance of global talent in and outside the country to help recover the nation’s economy.
About Canada’s Express Entry system
The Express Entry system manages applications for three programs under the Federal High Skilled category, and these are:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
The skilled workers must be eligible under one of the above programs to enter the Express Entry pool. After entering the pool, candidates will be ranked against each other based on certain factors, such as age, education, language proficiency (French and/or English), work experience, and other factors, and they will be given a CRS score. Furthermore, the applicants who secure a provincial nomination are rewarded with extra 600 points, which promises them the best chances of receiving an ITA in an Express Entry draw.
Every two weeks, an Express Entry draw is held by the IRCC, through which the federal department issues an invitation to prospective candidates to apply for Canadian permanent residency. However, 2021 to date, Canada has not conducted an all-program draw (this draw includes the FSWP candidates). On the other hand, the IRCC has invited candidates from CEC and PNP to apply for permanent residence through separate program-specific draws.
A possible explanation for Canada prioritizing these candidates during the COVID-19 outbreak is that there are higher chances of these candidates being already residing in the country. CEC candidates are more likely to be already in Canada, and the PNP candidates have been welcomed by specific provinces and territories to fulfill the labor market demands. In a press release, IRCC stated that currently, around 90 percent of CEC candidates are already residing in Canada.
IRCC started conducting the program-specific Express Entry draws around three months later from Canada’s first lockdown. In September, IRCC resumed the all-program draws, which were held every two weeks till the end of 2020. Thus, there are high chances that the department will soon hold all-program draws in 2021, as they have done during a similar situation in 2020. In the press release, it was explained that IRCC would process Express Entry applications from the skilled workers overseas, and they will welcome the successful candidates as soon as the travel restrictions are lifted.
