For the third week in a row, IRCC held an all-program Express Entry draw.
Approximately 7,000 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence were issued by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The cut-off score for the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) was 481. Candidates from all programs were considered by IRCC.
Since the December 23, 2020, Express Entry draw, today's draw had the lowest CRS score requirement for an all-program draw (back then, the score was 468). IRCC has invited a total of 21,000 candidates over the last two weeks in order for the CRS to fall to 481 today.
Express Entry is the primary method by which the Canadian government manages economic immigration candidates.
Those who meet the requirements for at least one of the three Express Entry programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), or the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) can upload their profile to the IRCC website.
They are assigned a CRS score based on human capital criteria such as age, education, language skills, and work experience.
IRCC holds Express Entry draws every two weeks and sends ITAs to the top-scoring candidates.
However, in recent months, IRCC has not followed a consistent draw schedule.
For example, on March 15 and March 23, it held two draws in a row that tied for the largest all-program draws ever.
Each of these draws attracted a total of 7,000 Express Entry candidates (14,000 candidates in total).
When IRCC considers issuing ITAs to candidates from all three Express Entry programs, this is referred to as an all-program draw.
They differ from program-specific draws, in which IRCC only considers candidates from a single program.
After receiving an ITA, a candidate has up to 60 days to submit a completed permanent residence application to IRCC.
The IRCC expects to process these applications in six months. If a candidate's application is accepted, they will be able to settle in Canada as a permanent resident.
The Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025, which governs the operations of Canada's immigration system, calls for the IRCC to accept nearly 83,000 immigrants through Express Entry this year.
The Immigration Goal 2024-2025:
The goal will be 109,000 in 2024 and 114,000 in 2025.
Canada has made the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) its primary economic class immigration pathway since last year.
The majority of Canada's provinces and territories have their own PNP, which allows them to identify (or “nominate”) candidates who meet the needs of their economy.
The PNP admissions target for Canada is nearly 106,000 in 2023, 110,000 in 2024, and nearly 118,000 in 2025.
Several provinces have announced their new PNP allocations in recent weeks.
Ontario, Canada's largest province, will now be able to nominate up to 18,000 immigrants in 2025.
Express Entry is used by a portion of the PNP.
This means that if a candidate is eligible for one of the three Express Entry programs (the FSWP, CEC, or FSTP), they can enter the Express Entry pool and then be invited to apply to their PNP by a province or territory.
The advantage of this approach, known as enhanced provincial nominations, is that those who are approved through a PNP stream receive an additional 600 CRS points.
These extra points almost ensure that the candidate will receive an ITA for permanent residence.
Following the coronavirus pandemic, Canada has seen a surge in newcomer arrivals in recent years as the country seeks to welcome more permanent and temporary residents to support its economy.
For the first time in the country's history, Canada's population increased by more than one million people last year. Over 95% of this growth was accounted for by permanent and temporary residents.