The Canadian government has invited a total of 27,332 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence, in its latest draw held in the month of February.
On a day that has been termed “Saturday Surprise” the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited the highest ever number of express entry candidates in a single draw.
According to the newsletter published by CIC News, it also invited candidates with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score as low as 75. The lowest ever CRS score for Express Entry draws since it launched in 2015.
This shows that the Canadian government is serious about doing its best to achieve its Immigration Levels Plan target for 2021. The country is aiming to welcome 401,000 new immigrants this year and beyond.
READ: Canada invited 3,350 Express Entry Candidates to apply for PR in its April draw
What you should know
- It is worth noting that IRCC only invited CEC candidates in this draw, as it estimates that 90% of them are currently in Canada, making it easier to complete their permanent residence process.
- Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marco Mendicino had hinted recently that the IRCC will continue to rely on candidates in Canada to support its immigration levels target.
- Express Entry is not an immigration program itself, but an application management system for the three programs under the Federal High Skilled category: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class.
- In order to get into the Express Entry pool of candidates, skilled workers need to make sure they are eligible for one of these programs. If so, they will get a CRS score, which is based on their age, education, work experience, language proficiency in English or French, as well as other factors.
- Candidates who get a provincial nomination through a PNP, for example, get an additional 600 CRS points, which effectively guarantees that they will receive an ITA in an Express Entry draw.
- IRCC holds these draws about every two weeks, inviting Express Entry candidates to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
READ: Canada invites 7,200 Candidates to apply for Permanent Residency in its November draws
This unprecedented Express Entry invitation round only required candidates to have a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 75— the lowest CRS requirement ever.
The IRCC also implemented the tie-break rule, meaning candidates who had the minimum score of 75 were only included if they submitted their Express Entry profile before September 12, 2020 at 15:31 UTC.
READ: How to apply for Canadian Permanent Residency on your own
What this means
- The increase in the number of invitations in the recent draw shows that the Canadian government is moving forward with its plan of welcoming more immigrants to the country this year.
- It serves as good news for other countries of the world and Nigerians at large who seek to travel to Canada for educational purposes or in search of greener pasture, considering the economic reality of Nigeria, increasing misery index, inflationary pressure, unemployment, amongst others.