Canada invited 557 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence on May 12.
Express Entry candidates needed a score of at least 752 in order to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA). They also needed to have previously received a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Any time someone gets a provincial nomination through an Express Entry-linked PNP, they automatically get 600 points added to their score. This is why the score requirement was so high. Without the nomination, the lowest-scoring candidate would have had a score of 152.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes a cutoff time for the tie-break rule as an administrative requirement, regardless of whether there was an actual tie. In the new draw, candidates who had the minimum score were only invited if they submitted their Express Entry profile before April 29, 2021 at 10:18:12 UTC.
“Having Canadian experience prior to landing gives PNP candidates an edge in the labour market,” said David Cohen, Senior Attorney of Campbell Cohen. “Studies have shown about two thirds of PNP candidates who become permanent residents have work prior experience in Canada, and the majority are employed in their first year.”
Express Entry in 2021
Since the start of the year, Canada has only invited Express Entry candidates through the PNP, and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). This is largely because the COVID-related travel restrictions do not allow approved permanent residents to come to Canada from abroad, and the government is aiming to admit record-breaking numbers of new immigrants over the next three years.
In 2021 alone, Canada is set to welcome 108,500 new immigrants through Express Entry-managed programs. So far, IRCC has invited 62,328 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residents.
PNP-only and CEC-only draws have vastly different CRS requirements. This is because PNP candidates have the 600-point award attached to their score. CEC candidates are invited in high numbers, and they are not competing for invitations from other programs, so there is more room for IRCC to invite lower-scoring candidates.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry manages the applications for Federal High Skilled programs, which include the: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. Some PNPs also use the Express Entry system to invite candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.
If you are eligible for Express Entry, and enter your profile into the pool, you will get a score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS awards you points based on your skilled work experience, education, age, official language skills, and other factors.
IRCC invites the highest-scoring candidates to apply for permanent residence through regular Express Entry draws. After you apply, an IRCC immigration officer makes a decision on your application. If you are approved, the last step is to complete the landing process and officially become a Canadian permanent resident.
Who was invited?
The following is a hypothetical example of someone who may have been invited in the new draw.
Marco is 34 with a master’s degree and has been working as a database analyst for ten years. He wrote the IELTS and scored a 7.5 in listening and a 6.5 in every other category. Marco entered the Express Entry pool in January 2020. He also submitted an Expression of Interest profile to the Canadian province of Saskatchewan through the International Skilled Worker: Saskatchewan Express Entry stream. He entered the Express Entry pool with a CRS score of 360. Shortly after submitting a profile to Saskatchewan, Marco was invited to apply for provincial nomination. After being nominated, his Express Entry CRS score increased to 960. Marco was then invited to apply for permanent residence in the new Express Entry draw.