The Canadian government has invited 1,500 new Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residency. This is the first time Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is inviting candidates across all-programs since December 2020.
Also, Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates, which is the primary way for Canada’s large international student and foreign working population to gain residence were also included in this Express Entry draw.
Notably, an all-program Express Entry draw occurs when the IRCC considers all the candidates in the Express Entry pool for permanent residence based on their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. The all-program draw had been discontinued since 2020 due to movement restrictions placed by the government as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the resumption of the all-program Express Entry draw means that immigrants from overseas are now eligible to be picked and invited to apply for permanent residency based on their CRS score. It is worth noting that the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off score for this draw was 557.
What they are saying
According to a statement by Canada’s Immigration Minister, Sean Frazer after the draw, “Today, I am pleased to announce that Express Entry draws have officially resumed, and applications will be processed at our 6-month processing standard. I want to thank the candidates from around the world for their patience, as we worked to reduce the backlog before resuming Express Entry draws. I look forward to welcoming skilled workers who will are essential in addressing Canada’s labour shortages.”
How Express Entry application works
- Firstly, candidates need to confirm that they meet the criteria of at least one of the three Express Entry programs. That is, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). Click here to check.
- If they meet the criteria, candidates can upload their Express Entry profile onto IRCC’s website.
- Candidates receive a Comprehensive Ranking System score based on their human capital characteristics such as age, education, language skills, and work experience.
- Approximately every two weeks, IRCC invites the highest-scoring candidates to apply for permanent residence.
- Those invited for permanent residence have 60 days to submit their applications to IRCC. IRCC aims to process most applications within 6 months or less.