Express Entry: Canada invites 4,500 to apply for permanent residence

Canada's new Express Entry draw ties for the all-time biggest draw ever.

A total of 4,500 invitations went to Express Entry candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirement of 471.

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The CRS requirement is the same as the previous Express Entry draw held on September 30.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been holding draws of 4,200 every two weeks since September 2. The immigration department has not had a draw of this size since February.

Express Entry is Canada's immigration application management system for three federal economic-class programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.

Candidates in these programs, as well as some Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are given a score based on the CRS. Points are awarded depending on a candidates human capital factors such as age, education, work experience, and language ability in English or French.

The highest scoring candidates receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence in an Express Entry invitation round. In today's draw, Canada invited the top 4,500 candidates to apply for permanent residence.

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In case of a tie between candidates, IRCC applies the tie-breaking rule. So, for this draw, candidates who had a CRS score of 471 or more, needed to have submitted their Express Entry profile before September 1, 2020, at 12:11:23 UTC in order to receive an invitation.

This year, the CRS requirement has typically hovered above 470 for all program draws. The Federal Skilled Trades Program-only draw on August 6 invited trades workers with a CRS of 415, and previous Canadian Experience Class-only draws dipped into the 440s. PNP-only draws have higher requirements because Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are automatically awarded an additional 600 CRS points. PNPs offer alternative pathways to permanent residence for Express Entry candidates who have a lower CRS score.

The new draw brings the total number of ITAs issued in 2020 to 82,850. The number of ITAs issued this year is fast-approaching the target IRCC set in March for Federal High Skilled immigration. This year is shaping up to be a new record-breaking year for Express Entry, as the number of ITAs issued to date is the highest it has ever been.

The new immigration levels will be announced by the end of the month. Canada will set admission targets for immigrants in all classes between 2021 and 2023. These levels will give us a glimpse into how many immigrants Canada plans to admit through Express Entry next year.

Who is invited?

The following are hypothetical examples of people who may have been invited in today's invitation round.

Rupert is 29 and single. He has a B.Sc. from his home country, where he has worked for six years as a software designer. He has a CLB 9 in each English language competency. He has also received a job offer in his chosen occupation in New Brunswick. Rupert's CRS score of 479 would be high enough for him to receive an ITA in today’s draw.

Jenni is 30 years old and has a two-year post-secondary diploma in pastry baking. She also has four years of work experience as a pastry chef in her home country. Jenni scored a CLB 5 in all English language competencies. She received a provincial nomination from the Manitoba Skilled Worker Overseas stream as part of a Manitoba Strategic Recruitment Mission. Jenni’s initial CRS score was 227, but with her provincial nomination she receives an additional 600 points, which brings her CRS total up to 827— far in excess of the required minimum in today's Express Entry draw.

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