On 2nd February, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted a draw for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applicants with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirement of at least 674. They sent 1,070 invites, breaking the record of 1,036 on 19th January.
The threshold was kept high as the nominated folks got extra 600 points, so the base score of 74 would have sufficed to get the invite.
The applicants who got the invite have to apply for permanent residency (PR) in the next two months.
Status of Express Entry in 2022
The immigration department has decided that they will conduct only PNP-specific draws for some time. The immigration minister Sean Fraser recently announced the measures that the government is taking to make the immigration system more efficient however he did not mention by when the draws for other streams will be conducted. Federal programs such as the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) have been put on hold. However, Fraser assured the reporters that the hold was temporary.
As the immigration department prioritized the transition of temp residents to PR, they started conducting draws for people residing in maple country. As a result, maple country was able to meet its goal of onboarding 401,000 residents. However, the backlog increased to 1.8 million. As of December last year, around 119,000 applicants were from the Express Entry pool.
According to an internal document, the county will resume the draws for the rest of the streams when around 50% of the backlog is dealt with. They are trying to reduce the processing duration to six months as usual. However, the real numbers are different than the ideal situation, 20 months for FSWP and 8 for CEC. Fraser mentioned that such inaccuracies would be sorted out on the platform in the upcoming months.
For applicants who have to leave the country as their permits are expiring, Fraser mentioned that they are trying to find an alternative. However, there is no immediate remedy for the situation. He stated that IRCC is trying to make arrangements for occupation-specific draws to deal with labour market needs.
The discussion also had a part in this year’s budget where it is noted that the country may try to reform Express Entry so that more applicants can be taken who fulfill the labour force requirements.
Furthermore, the mandate letter needs that the immigration departments should help find ways for temp workers and students in immigrating.
A memo released in November revealed that the targets for Express Entry could be revised, and it could go as low as 50% of the current goal. This revision is expected in the 2022-24 levels plan. Fraser did not comment on the asked statement; however, it will be revealed soon as he announces the new plan this month.
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?
Castle’s age is 38 years and has a bachelor’s degree. He has professional experience in the construction field. He possesses an advanced status in English proficiency. However, he does not have an education or work experience in maple country. He got a CRS score of 384. However, he was able to secure a nomination from Alberta, and now the score of 984 would have made him eligible to get an invite in the recent draw.
