On July 8, Canada held their first all-program Express Entry draw since March 4. The return to all-program draws could signify a positive sign in the country’s fight against COVID-19. 

The first all-program draw in four months issued over 3,900 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residency, including candidates from Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score was 47 for this invitation round.

While Canada did continue to hold Express Entry draws amid the coronavirus pandemic, draws in the last few months were targeted to invite candidates from the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) only, leaving FSWP and FSTP candidates uncertain. 

The trend of targeted draws began in assumption that CEC and PNP candidates would be least likely to be affected by Canada’s travel restrictions, though it is important to note that some CEC and PNP candidates still remained outside of Canada during the pandemic.

This recent draw matches the previous all-program draw on March 4 in size, inviting over 3,900 candidates. 

However, the minimum cut-off score of 478 was seven points higher than that of March 4’s 471. This was to accommodate FSWP and FSTP candidates who would have been otherwise accepted in the time between draws, had the IRCC’s policies not been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The IRCC applied their tie-break rule on the July 8 draw, with cut-off at February 11, 13:08:31 UTC, extending an invitation to candidates with a CRS score of 478 and above who entered their profile in the Express Entry pool prior to this date and time. 

This marks the 22nd draw of 2020, with the total number of 53,00 ITAs issued setting a record high for this time this year compared to previous years.