The Canadian government has invited 5,956 new candidates to apply for permanent residency in its latest Express Entry draw, representing the third-highest draw held by the country.
The new draw targeted candidates who are eligible for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). That is, candidates who have had at least one year of skilled work experience in Canada with intermediate official language skills.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited candidates with CRS scores of at least 380, which is the second-lowest Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) in 2021. The CRS is a points-based system that is used to assess, score candidates’ profile and rank it in the Express Entry pool. It is based on skills, education, language ability, work experience, age, etc.
Priority to In-Canada candidates
The Canadian government has been prioritizing candidates who are more likely to be living in the country already, since the start of the year. This is due to the travel restrictions currently in place and candidates who are approved overseas will not be able to travel and complete their permanent residency landing.
Despite the pandemic, Canada is still admitting record-breaking numbers of new immigrants. Year to date, Canada has invited 74,773 new immigrants, representing 68.9% of the annual target of 108,500.
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.
What you should know
Express Entry is a points-based expression of interest system. It manages the applications for the three Federal High Skilled programs, which include the: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and Federal Skilled Trades Program.
- It is worth noting that 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), which is based on skilled work experience, education, age, official language skills, and other factors.
- IRCC holds regular rounds of invitation. The highest-scoring candidates receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.
Why this matters
The continuous welcoming of immigrants by the Canadian government is delightful news for many people around the world, who would hope to one day be citizens of Canada, especially Nigerians.
Although Canada is not looking to bring new immigrants into the country, due to the travel restrictions placed as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, it is hoped that with the distribution of vaccines around the world, restrictions will be lifted and Express Entry invitations will start rolling in as usual.