On 20th January, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted the 3rd Express Entry draw.
IRCC sent invitations to 374 Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applicants. The applicants invited had a score of a minimum of 741. That minimum score meant that the applicants were required to achieve just 141 points for their human capital behavior in the Comprehensive Ranking System; the rest were gained by acquiring the provincial nominations.
Express Entry remains the primary pathway for skilled workers to enter Canada and get permanent residence (PR). As per the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan, the country is expecting to onboard around 110,000 newcomers through Express Entry every year. IRCC manages the applications of Express Entry for skilled workers through three different programs.
Express Entry consists of two different steps during the process. First of all, eligible applicants under any of the above-mentioned programs will have to update their profiles on the official immigration website. After they update their profile, they receive the CRS points on the basis of their age, language skill, education level, and work experience.
The IRCC conducts around every two weeks in step two. The selected ones from the draw get the Invitation to Apply (ITA) for PR. The invites are sent to applicants with the highest CRS score. If any individual receives an ITA, he/she can apply for PR by submitting the application to the IRCC.
Candidates obtain extra 600 CRS points if they possess a provincial nomination aligned with Express Entry. That exponentially ensures that the candidate will receive an ITA to apply for PR in Canada.
After Express Entry, the PNP is a significant pathway for skilled workers to enter Canada. The majority of the provinces and territories in Canada have PNPs (separate immigration systems) to onboard foreign workers to support the local labor market requirements.
Even though the pandemic hit the immigration process in Canada, Express Entry held a record-breaking year. The IRCC sent 107,350 ITAs in 2020. The country is hoping to increase the target so that it can welcome more migrants after the pandemic to sustain the post-COVID economy.
The IRCC conducted the initial two draws on the 6th and 7th Jan 2021. Both the draws were program-specific. The first draw picked 250 PNP applicants, whereas the 2nd one sent ITAs to 4,750 CEC applicants. The IRCC conducted such draws at the pandemic beginning with thinking that such individuals can avoid COVID-related disruptions. However, the country was able to perform all categories of draws, and even FSWP and FSTP applicants were able to receive ITAs.
The IRCC has sent 5,374 ITAs till now in 2021, exceeding the number they sent in 2020 at the same time. The figure is anticipated to grow with the anticipated CEC-only draw this week.
In today’s draw, IRCC issued more ITAs at a lower CRS cut-off than the previous PNP-only draw. The cut-off was 813 in the draw conducted on 6th January.
A hypothetical presentation for the candidates who got the ITA in today’s draw.
John is 32 years aged, single, and a registered nurse. He has a degree in nursing and got IELTS scores corresponding to CLB 6.5 in all 4 sections. He has five years of work experience in Germany and recently got an offer of indefinite work with a hospital in Abbotsford. British Columbia then nominated John as a member of the Express Entry British Columbia Health Care Professional plan. John’s CRS score prior to his provincial nomination (PN) was 310, but with the PNP, he obtained an extra 600 score. The CRS score of 910 suited John for an ITA in the draw conducted today.
