Express Entry: Canada has its third PNP draw in a straight
On October 13, Canada launched a new Express Entry draw for those candidates who had received provincial nominations and wanted to apply for PR.
Candidates with a score of at least 720 received 681 invites from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). By virtue of receiving a nomination through a Provincial Nominee Program, all invited candidates got 600 points (PNP). The lowest-scoring candidates would have just 120 points if they were not nominated.
IRCC selected 761 candidates with a minimum score of 742 in the preceding PNP draw. With a lower CRS threshold, this draw is smaller than the last one, implying that the pool of PNP candidates with higher scores was smaller.
Starting in Q4, there will be no changes to the Express Entry strategy
IRCC has held bi-weekly Express Entry lotteries all year, inviting only PNP and CEC candidates. Canada imposed travel restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, making it difficult for outland immigrants to complete their permanent residency applications. IRCC continues to host PNP drawings despite the fact that these candidates were not necessary in the country as part of its commitment to provincial and territorial immigration strategy. Candidates for the CEC are almost certainly already in Canada, as they must have at least one year of work experience in a specialized vocation in Canada.
For the Express Entry system, this has been an exceptional year. IRCC had begun holding all-program drawings, which incorporated Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) candidates, by this time last year. Since December 2020, the IRCC has not conducted an all-program Express Entry draw.
Despite this, IRCC has sent out a record number of PNP and CEC invites this year. IRCC issued 107,350 Express Entry visas last year, which was a new high. With three months remaining in the year, the total number of Express Entry invitations has reached 110,377.
On February 13, IRCC sent out invitations to every single Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidate in the pool, resulting in an increase in the number of ITAs.
The minimum scores have fluctuated depending on whether the draw was for the CEC or the PNP. Minimum scores are influenced by the number of candidates in the pool and the number of invites issued by IRCC in a given round. Only the candidates with the highest scores are invited. Because candidates who receive provincial nominations receive 600 points added to their score, PNP draws have higher cut-offs by default.
What is Express Entry, and how does it work?
The online Express Entry system manages applications for Canada’s most popular immigration programs. The Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and Federal Skilled Trades Program are the three programs that utilise Express Entry. The Express Entry pool of PNP candidates has already qualified for one of these programs.
The Comprehensive Ranking Approach (CRS) is used by Express Entry to rank candidates’ profiles using a points-based system. Candidates who get the highest scores are given an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and can subsequently apply for permanent residency.
The application is then reviewed by an IRCC officer, who makes a decision. They will request biometrics and may schedule an interview or request more documentation.
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?
Sonu and Zheng are 34 and 31 years old, respectively, and are married. They both have bachelor’s degrees and took the IELTS, scoring 8 in hearing and 7 in reading, speaking, and writing, respectively. For the past three years, Zheng has worked as a computer programmer, and Sonu has worked in finance for the time four years. Zheng and Sonu have never worked or studied in Canada. With Zheng as the primary applicant and a CRS score of 421, they applied to the Express Entry pool. Heng was subsequently notified of Ontario’s interest, and he was allowed to seek a provincial nomination under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Maha’s CRS score rose to 1021, and she was invited to apply for permanent residency in the new Express Entry draw.