Express Entry: 1,002 PNP candidates invited in new draw

Canada invited 1,002 immigration candidates to apply for permanent residence in the latest Express Entry draw.

All invited candidates had previously received a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). This is why the score cut-off was relatively high at 742, because all PNP candidates in the Express Entry pool automatically get 600 points added to their score.

As per administrative requirements, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) published a cutoff time for the tie-break rule, whether or not there was any actual tie. In the new draw, candidates who had the minimum score were only invited if they submitted their Express Entry profile before February 18, 2021 at 04:04:56 UTC.

In the previous PNP-only draw, Canada invited 940 PNP candidates to apply for permanent residence, and the score requirement was 711 points. At the time, it was the biggest draw of its kind, ever.

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Domestic candidates prioritized

Throughout the pandemic, IRCC has been holding only PNP- and Canadian Experience Class (CEC)-specific draws. This is because these candidates are more likely to already be living in Canada. Up until June 21, approved permanent residents could not travel to Canada to complete their landing and activate their status.

Although Canada's travel restrictions are to starting to scale back, the border is still closed to non-essential travel and the flight ban from India has been extended another month.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, the federal government is planning to admit record-breaking numbers of new immigrants over the next three years. In 2021 alone, 108,500 new immigrants are supposed to come through Express Entry-managed programs.

This year, Canada has invited almost twice as many Express Entry candidates as we saw at the same time last year. The large number comes from the historic February 13 draw where IRCC invited every CEC-eligible candidate in the pool, a total of 27,332 people. About 87 per cent of those invited that day applied for permanent residence before the 90-day deadline, according to an IRCC email.

PNP-only and CEC-only draws have very different score requirements. This is because PNP candidates automatically get 600 points added to their score. CEC candidates are not competing for invitations from other programs. As a result, IRCC takes more off the top allowing for cutoff scores to dip into the lower levels.

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is a points-based application management system for the three Federal High Skilled programs, which include the: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and Federal Skilled Trades Program. Some PNPs also use Express Entry to invite candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

If you are eligible for an Express Entry-managed program, you will get a score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS awards points based on skilled work experience, education, age, official language skills, and other factors.

IRCC holds regular rounds of invitation, issuing Invitations to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence to the highest-scoring candidates.

After you submit, an IRCC immigration officer will make a decision on your application. If you are approved, the last step is to complete the landing process and officially immigrate to Canada.

Who was invited?

The following is a hypothetical example of someone who may have been invited in the new Express Entry draw.

Sebastien and Jacob are married and are 34 and 31 respectively. They each hold a bachelor’s degree, and each wrote the IELTS and scored an 8 in listening and a 7 in reading, speaking, and writing. Jacob has been working as a computer programmer for the past three years while Sebastien has been working in finance for four years. Neither Sebastien nor Jacob has ever worked or studied in Canada. They entered the Express Entry pool in April 2020 with Jacob as the principal applicant and a CRS score of 421. Jacob was issued a notification of interest from Ontario’s Human Capital Priorities Stream and was then able to apply for a provincial nomination through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Jacob’s CRS score increased to 1021 and he received an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence during today's Express Entry draw.

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