Canada invites 1,047 people in a new PNP draw
The fifth PNP-only Express Entry draw of the year has taken place in Canada
On March 2, Canada provides an invitation to 1,047 Express Entry applicants to apply for Canadian immigration.
In the current invitation round, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) solely invited individuals from the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The cutoff for the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) was 761. Because PNP candidates got an automatic 600 point boost when they obtain their nomination, the minimum score was comparatively high. The lowest-scoring applicants would have received 161 base points if they had not been nominated.
Candidates who have been invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada now have 60 days to do so.
IRCC invited 1,082 PNP applicants to apply for Canadian immigration in the previous round of invites. The number of Express Entry applicants invited in a single round of invites set a new high.
Drawings for skilled personnel will restart in the “near future,” according to the minister
Since December 2020, Canada hasn’t had an Express Entry draw for Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) applicants, and since September 2021 for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants.
In a webinar with business executives, Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser stated that the IRCC would begin skilled worker draws “in the near future.”
Although there has been no news on when skilled worker draws will resume, the immigration minister stated that Express Entry will begin to seem more typical in the coming years. Express Entry targets for skilled workers will be lowered in half this year, according to the 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan, but will return to normal by 2024. When Canada announces its Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 in the fall, these targets may change.
In 2022, Canada expects to bring in 83,500 immigrants through both Express Entry-aligned and base PNP categories, according to the current levels plan. The new aims are higher than the government’s prior targets, which were 81,500 PNP immigrants in 2022 and 83,000 in 2023, according to the previous levels plan.
Despite the suspension of FSWP and CEC draws, PNP draws continue every two weeks in unprecedented numbers. In February, the IRCC issued 2,145 Invitations to Apply to provincial nominees, over double the previous month’s total of 1,428 PNP hopefuls.
Fraser also stated that he would want to see the Express Entry system become more flexible. Express Entry, he argued, might be utilised to meet short-term needs, such as those of smaller communities and certain in-demand industries. Earlier this year, the minister hinted that occupation-specific Express Entry drawings could be implemented in the future.
What is Express Entry, and how does it work?
The Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program are all part of the Express Entry application management system. In the Express Entry pool, PNP candidates have already qualified for one of these programmes.
Express Entry ranks candidates’ profiles using a points-based mechanism known as the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Candidates with the highest scores receive an Invitation to Seek (ITA), which they can use to apply for permanent residency.
After a candidate submits an application, an IRCC officer reviews it and makes a decision. The officer will seek biometrics and may schedule an interview or require additional paperwork.
IRCC issues a Confirmation of Permanent Residence if the application is approved (COPR). Permanent residents who have been approved can then finish the landing process. If they are outside of Canada, they can take advantage of pre-arrival services to assist them in taking the first steps toward settling in.
Who was invited?
The following is a hypothetical scenario involving someone who received an ITA in the new Express Entry draw.
Naveen is 39 years old, has a bachelor’s degree, and has spent the last six years working as an information system manager. Naveen has a strong command of the English language and has never worked or studied in Canada. He had a CRS score of 386 when he entered the Express Entry pool. Through Alberta’s Express Entry route, he recently won a provincial nomination. His revised CRS score of 986 would have qualified him for an ITA in the new Express Entry lottery.