Canada welcomes 1,070 PNP candidates for Express Entry, a new high
Express Entry draws for provincial nominees are still being held in Canada
On February 2, Canada welcomed 1,070 Express Entry applicants to fill for Canadian immigration.
Only candidates from the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) were invited by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score was 674. When PNP contestants receive their nomination, their score is automatically increased by 600 points, which is why the score is substantially larger than in a standard all-program draw. Without the nomination, the lowest-scoring candidate would only have needed 74 CRS points to be elected.
The new draw beats out the previous record for the largest PNP-only draw, which was held on January 19 and included 1,036 PNP candidates.
Candidates who have been invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada now have 60 days to do so.
In 2022, Express Entry will be available.
For the time being, Canada is slated to solely hold PNP drawings. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser did not say when Canada would resume Express Entry draws for candidates who are eligible for other programmes such as the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program while announcing measures to improve the immigration system (FSTP). He assured reporters, though, that the suspension is only temporary.
Prior to the pandemic, FSWP candidates received the majority of Express Entry invites. Canada welcomed more CEC applicants to fill in 2021 than any other programme until September when it suspended CEC draws. There is now a backlog of more than 1.8 million persons waiting for immigration decisions as a result of pandemic closures and IRCC’s policy to transfer temporary residents to permanent residents. Approximately 119,000 of these people were Express Entry applicants as of December.
Internal IRCC briefing papers imply that once half of the backlogged applications have been processed, Canada will be able to host Express Entry drawings for FSWP and CEC candidates. The Department of Homeland Security wants expected processing times to return to the previous level of six months. Despite the fact that the IRCC website still states that processing periods are expected to take six months, the letter states that FSWP candidates may have to wait up to 20 months and CEC candidates up to eight months. The IRCC website’s mistakes, according to Fraser, will be corrected in the coming months.
For Applicants in Canada who may be forced to abandon their jobs or leave the country while the IRCC delays some drawings, Fraser said they are looking into options to keep employees in the country, but no solution has yet been found.
Fraser told the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) that the IRCC is looking into the potential of hosting “occupation-focused [Express Entry] drawings in response to labour demands.” In its Budget 2021, the Canadian government hinted at this possibility, stating that it wants to alter Express Entry to “select those individuals who best match Canada’s labour market demands.” Fraser’s mission letter also directs him to use the Express Entry system to develop ways for students and temporary employees to immigrate to Canada.
The November letter suggested that Express Entry targets for the multi-year immigration levels plan 2022-2024 may be halved. Minister Fraser did not say yes or no to reporters when asked if Canada would cut its Express Entry targets this year, ahead of the levels plan being tabled in Parliament. Fraser is expected to announce the revised level plan in February, possibly before the next Express Entry draw.
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 analyzes it and makes decisions. 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 got an ITA in the new Express Entry draw.
Lan is 39 years old, has a bachelor’s degree, and has been a construction manager for the past six years. Lan has a strong command of the English language and has never worked or studied in Canada. She had a CRS score of 386 when she entered the Express Entry pool. Through Alberta’s Express Entry route, she recently won a provincial nomination. Her revised CRS score of 986 would have qualified her for an ITA in the new Express Entry lottery.