Express Entry: Canada invited 4,626 candidates in its 2nd draw this week

Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issues 4,626 permanent residence invitations to apply to applicants of the Canadian Experience Class. The Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) cut-off requirement was 454.

Today’s CRS cut-off score was seven points lower than the previous CEC-specific draw held on January 1, which had a CRS cut-off score of 461.

As per the new 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan, IRCC is going to welcome around 110,000 Express Entry immigrants each year. Canada came close to this mark last year, when it had year which broke records for Express Entry, and IRCC issued a total of 107,350 permanent residence invitations. The Canadian government announced that it will welcome high levels of skilled immigrants during and after the COVID-19 pandemic will remain vital to supporting a strong economy.

For the Express Entry there are two steps. First, skilled worker candidates need to see if they are eligible for at least one of the following programs:

Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP, Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

The applicants who are eligible for one of these programs can enter the Express Entry pool by submitting their profile onto IRCC’s website. After that, IRCC will award them a CRS score that is based on criteria such as their age, education, work experience, language experience, among other human capital factors.

In the second step, IRCC operates Express Entry draws usually every two weeks and issues the ITAs to the candidates for permanent residence based on IRCC’s policy goals and CRS cut-off requirements.

Today’s draw is the fourth draw of 2021. IRCC earlier held a draw for PNP candidates on 20th January.

The applicants who receive a provincial nomination through Express Entry get an additional 600 CRS points which essentially guarantees they will obtain an ITA.

IRCC is yet to hold an all-program draw in 2021.

The return to PNP- and CEC-specific draws is a strong sign that IRCC will rely heavily on Express Entry candidates currently in Canada to try and achieve its immigration targets for 2021. At the same time, it does appear strongly likely that FSWP and FSTP candidates will also be considered for Express Entry draws in 2021, even during the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, IRCC held PNP- and CEC-specific draws when the pandemic began but ended 2020 by conducting numerous all-program draws, enabling FSWP and FSTP candidates to also obtain ITAs.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *