Canada held the 7th all-program Express Entry draw and sent 3,750 invitations to eligible candidates on September 28. All-program draws began again on July 6. IRCC invited 3,750 candidates with a minimum cut-off score of 504 under the Comprehensive Ranking system.
Being an all-program draw, candidates of all Express Entry programs received invitations. The programs under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and CEC.
This is the third time when an Express Entry draw witnessed an increase of 500 invitations. The draw that was conducted on September 14 had sent 3, 250 invitations, while on August 31, 2, 750 candidates received invitations. In the 7th all-program Express Entry draw, the invitations increased to 3,750. Additionally, the latest CRS score of 504 is the lowest one until now. On July 6, the CRS score was 557, and it has been declining bit by bit with each draw.
In the first five draws, the CRS score kept declining by eight to nine points. However, on September 14, the score was reduced by six points, and the seventh draw experienced the same as the CRS score.
Express Entry draws for all its programs remained stagnant for more than eighteen months. The pause took place initially in December 2020 because of the backlog of applications caused due to pandemic’s travel restrictions.
When the pause started, only the Canadian Experience Class and PNP candidates received invitations. From September 2021 onwards, IRCC temporarily stopped the draws for CEC also.
The decline in the immigration backlog
IRCC revealed through the latest data that the immigration backlog declined from 2.7 million to 2.6 million between July and August 31. As a result of this, a dent is visible in the Express Entry applications that haven’t yet been processed. In the latter part of July, the Express Entry inventory remained at 51,616 individuals. From August 31 onwards, the number drastically declined to 40,180, and there was a reduction of more than 10,000 applications within around six weeks.
The inventory at present comprises a majority of PNP applications. It is crucial to know that most of the Provincial Nominee Programs are closely aligned with the Express Entry programs. These are called Enhanced Nominations. As per IRCC, the application backlog under PNPs underwent a decline. Conversely, an increase in PNP applications directly sent to the provincial government, also referred to as Base PNPs, was observed.
Express Entry- all about inventories
| Immigration programs | Individuals as of August 31 |
| Federal Skilled Workers (EE) | 11,669 |
| Canadian Experience Class (EE) | 5,214 |
| Skilled Trades (EE) | 299 |
| Provincial/Territorial Nominees (EE) | 22,998 |
| Total | 40,180 |
Canada sent invitations to 28, 039 individuals under the Express Entry programs. These invitations are largely due to the Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024, with Canada looking forward to 432,000 new immigrants toward the latter part of 2022. The country has been able to manage the target of 300,000 new immigrants until now.
Job vacancies are currently recorded as the highest
The Canadian government sets high immigration targets because of the consistent rise in the number of employment vacancies. Presently, the employment vacancy rate stands at 5.7 percent. A huge labor shortage at present and in the future is the main reason the Canadian government highly depends upon immigration.
A majority of the population in Canada will be meeting their retirement age of 65 years. The number of Canadians working is also significantly less.
Due to the acute labor shortage, Express Entry will modify in 2023. IRCC will also have the right and control to invite candidates based on their education, work experience, and language skills to uplift the Canadian economy and labor force. As a result, the value of CRS scores will increase. This is also because targeted draws might rely on different factors significantly.
Express Entry
Express Entry is a digital system managing immigration applications for three chief immigration programs in Canada, including the FSWP, CEC, and the FSTP. Candidates under the Provincial Nominee Program enter the Express Entry pool and become eligible for any one of the economic immigration programs mentioned above.
Express Entry operates on a point-based system referred to as the Comprehensive Ranking System. It sends invitations to candidates obtaining top scores so that they can proceed to apply for permanent residency status.
The IRCC officer reviews the application and then decides its status. Further, he can request a few more documents, arrange an interview and even require the biometrics impressions from you. Once the entire process finishes and the candidate receives the approval, they are sure to become Canadian permanent residents.
