Ontario PNP removes CRS cap again in Skilled Trades draw

Ontario invited 818 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination on February 24.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) invited candidates who may be eligible for the Ontario Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream. These candidates needed to have a profile in the Express Entry system with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 359. Ontario invited candidates who had created an Express Entry profile between the dates of February 24, 2021, and February 24, 2022.

For the second time in a row, Ontario removed its CRS cap. The maximum points an Express Entry candidate can get without a provincial nomination is 600. Prior to the February 22 draw, candidates whose CRS score was above the maximum range would not be eligible to apply for the nomination.

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Ontario opening up PR pathway for more Express Entry candidates

Canada has not held an Express Entry draw for anyone but PNP candidates since September 2021. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has not said when draws for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) candidates will resume, but recently said it would be in the “near future.”

In all of 2021, Express Entry candidates in Ontario with scores of more than 467 were not invited to apply for a nomination. As a result, some candidates were trying to reduce their scores in the pool in order to get a nomination from Ontario.

According to the new 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan Canada is expecting to bring in 83,500 immigrants through both Express Entry-aligned and base PNP categories this year. The new targets are greater than what the government projected in the last levels plan, which was 81,500 PNP immigrants for 2022, and 83,000 for 2023.

Ontario’s biggest draw of the year so far was on January 27, when the province invited 1,032 Skilled Trades Stream candidates. On February 23, Ontario held its biggest HCP draw of the year at 773 candidates.

Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream opens pathways for CEC candidates

Ontario’s Express Entry-linked Skilled Trades Stream offers a pathway to permanent residency for Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class candidates. The OINP invites eligible candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

To be eligible, candidates need to be living in Ontario with a valid work permit. They also need to have a minimum of one year of full-time work experience, or the equivalent in part-time work. They must have completed this work experience in the province in a skilled trade listed in Minor Group 633 or Major Group 72, 73, or 82 under Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC).

No job offer is needed to apply under the Skilled Trades Stream, but candidates must meet all the mandatory federal and provincial requirements.

The first step to being considered for a provincial nomination is to submit a profile to the Express Entry system.

About Express Entry

Express Entry is an application management system that allows people to apply for permanent residence directly to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It is not an immigration program itself, but it manages the applications for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class, and Federal Skilled Worker Program.

If you are eligible for one or more of these programs, you can then create an Express Entry profile. Once you upload all your documents, you will get a score based on your work experience, education, age, and language ability in English or French, among other criteria.

The highest scoring candidates are issued ITAs, which allow them to apply for permanent residence.

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