Canada issue Express Entry invitations through regular draws, invites 606 candidates
668 invitations to apply are issued in the new Express Entry draw on March 18, and the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score in this round was 720.
Canada continues to hold regular draws which removes the uncertainty about the likelihood that Express Entry draws would take place following the implementation of special measures to slow the spread of coronavirus.
In fact, on April 1, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) tweeted that Express Entry rounds of invitations are still being held, and confirmed that it is accepting and processing applications.
Today’s program-specific draw was the second in less than a month to target provincial nominee program candidates.
Since March 18, IRCC held two other program-specific invitation rounds through the Express Entry systemexclusively targeting Canadian Experience Class candidates and those with provincial nominations.
Canada’s main three categories are managed under the Express Entry System are: –
Candidates are ranked in the pool based on the CRS that considers 4 main factors: –
- Age
- Education
- Skilled work experience
- Proficiency in English or French
A set number of the highest-ranked candidates are issued an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence (ITA) through regular draws from the Express Entry pool.
Today’s draw is the 8th of 2020 and brings the total number of ITAs issued this year to 23,206.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) used its tie-break rule in this draw and the date and time used was December 18, 2020 at 11:29:51 UTC. This means that all candidates with a CRS score above 698, as well as those candidates with scores of 698 who submitted their profile before this specified date and time, received an ITA in this invitation round.
Express Entry candidates with scores below today’s CRS cut-off have a variety of potential options for increasing their points total, the most valuable of which is a provincial nomination.
A provincial nomination results in an additional 600 CRS points and effectively guarantees an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
Since the previous all-program draw held on March 4, several of Canada’s Express Entry-aligned provincial nomination streams have issued invitations, including streams in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
Canada’s various Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams have already held more than 30 draws since the start of 2020.
Under its 2020-2024 Immigration Levels Plan, the Government of Canada is targeting the admission of 341,000 immigrants in 2020, 351,000 in 2021, and another 361,000 in 2024. PNP admissions are set to increase by 20 per cent by 2024.