Express Entry: Canada invites 2,000 immigration candidates

Canada has awarded 2000 invitations to apply (ITA) for permanent residency in the latest Express Entry draw held on August 3. Both Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class applicants were included in the random draw. The lowest possible score on the complete rating scale (CRS) was 533. The previous draw’s minimum qualifying score was 542, therefore this is below that. After an extended hiatus of over 18 months, regular programme drawings resumed on July 6 of this year. Any applicant in the Express Entry pool who meets the required CRS scores will be invited to participate in the lottery.

Since Express Entry’s debut in 2015, this is the 228th draw, and it increases the total number of ITAs awarded in 2018 to 16,039. The minimum score of 533 set in place today is greater than the previous batch of invitations to all programmes in 2020, which was set at roughly 470. In order to break the deadlock, IRCC selected a timestamp of January 6, 2022, at 14:29:50 UTC as the decisive factor. When more than one applicant has the same minimal CRS score, a separate criterion must be utilized to determine the winner. No ITAs will be issued to candidates who entered the Express Entry pool after the time stamp date and time.

Express Entry is the primary entry point for qualified foreign nationals seeking permanent residence in Canada. The Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class all utilise Express Entry. Express Entry is a two-step process to get permanent residency. Individuals must first determine for themselves if they meet the criteria for a given programme. The next step is to construct a profile on IRCC’s website that highlights their qualifications in areas such as language, work experience, education, and age. Candidates who meet the requirements will be given a CRS score. The highest-scoring applicants have the best chance of being chosen (ITA). The draws for Express Entry happen about once every two weeks.

There was an Express Entry lottery in Canada on August 3, 2022, and 2,000 people were asked to apply for permanent immigration. One of the most well-known ways for skilled foreign workers to enter Canada is through the programme known as “Express Entry.” Candidates with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 533 or above were extended invitations. Candidates from both the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) were considered for this draw. When compared to the previous draw on July 20th, this one had a CRS minimum nine points lower. Additionaly, this draw invited 1,850 contestants, 250 more than the previous draw (ITA).

There have been 5,250 Express Entry candidates who have obtained ITAs since the regular schedule of drawings for all programmes resumed on July 6. For more than eighteen months, the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) did not hold these draws, instead only inviting people who were qualified for permanent residency through the Canadian Experience Class or the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). In 2022, Canada expects to accept 55,900 permanent residents via Express Entry; by 2024, that number is expected to surge to 111,500.

Thousands of Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) holders have seen their work permit status expire due to a halt in invitations to Express Entry CEC candidates between September 2021 and July 2022. They were unable to apply for a Bridging Open Work Permit while their permanent residency application was being processed by IRCC because they did not have CEC invitations. PGWP holders whose permits have expired are now eligible to receive an additional 18 months of open work permit status thanks to steps released yesterday by IRCC. This policy change is intended to ease the path to citizenship for these individuals by letting them keep their jobs in the interim.

Due to the constraints imposed by the pandemic, many international students have had to complete their degrees online over the previous two years. In response, IRCC has just announced that students who have graduated from online Canadian education programmes between March 2020 and August 2022 would be permitted to count those credits toward their CRS score. Because of this, students who have finished courses entirely online will be able to include them in their education credentials when submitting their Express Entry profile. This is a temporary measure, as limitations due to the pandemic are being lifted in many countries. A student’s qualifications for the CRS would normally be disqualified if more than half of their course work was accomplished via distance learning. To be eligible for Canadian educational credential points, however, you must have finished your whole programme of study or training and received your Canadian degree, diploma, or certificate between March 2020 and August 2022.

Applicants who are already part of the Express Entry pool may have received a letter from IRCC asking them to revise their profiles to reflect their most recent academic accomplishments. The letter states that three additional questions have been added to the education part, and that failure to do so would result in a lower than expected CRS score. The questions focus on the amount of time the candidate spent obtaining the credential through in-person study, study in Canada, and full-time study. Updates to the profile must be made by August 2 in order to keep the candidate’s CRS score and participation in the current draw active, as stated in the IRCC letter. The three Canadian immigration programmes that use Express Entry are the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FTP) (FSTP). Candidates in the Express Entry pool who are interested in applying to a provincial nominee programme (PNP) already meet the requirements for at least one of those programmes.

Express Entry ranks applicants using a point system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Top scorers are extended an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and given the opportunity to submit a green card application. A decision is made by an IRCC officer once the candidate has applied. The officer will request fingerprints and possibly schedule an interview or ask for additional paperwork. A Confirmation of Permanent Residence is issued to the petitioner upon approval (COPR). After that, you’ll just need to land and become a legal permanent resident of Canada.