Canada held back-to-back Express Entry draws on March 31 and April 1, inviting a total of 5,284 candidates from the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) category in a span of two days.
Candidates in the Provincial Nominee Program
The first draw on March 31 was focused on inviting 284 PNP candidates with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) of at least 778 points.
March has found Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) primarily targeting PNP candidates through Express Entry draws, and this latest draw was the 6th of the month, compared to the 4 CEC-specific draws. This might be due to the IRCC focusing on inviting candidates with higher CRS scores in the wake of the historic February 13 CEC-focused draw that had a minimum CRS score of only 75 points. PNP candidates often tend to have higher CRS scores as a successful provincial nomination guarantees a candidate an additional 600 points to their scores.
A tie-break rule was applied to this draw, so PNP candidates who had a CRS score of at least 778 were only included if they submitted their Express Entry profile before March 16, 2021 at 16:09:32 UTC.
Candidates in the Canadian Experience Class
As for the succeeding draw on April 1, the IRCC targeted 5,000 CEC candidates with CRS scores of at least 432 points, balancing out the previous draw with the 3rd-lowest required score in Express Entry history. A tie-break rule was also applied to this draw, with candidates who reached the minimum CRS score who registered their applications before February 16, 2021 at 09:51:22 UTC receiving invitations to apply (ITAs).
Prioritizing In-Canada Candidates
At present, the IRCC continues to hold draws targeting candidates who are already settled in Canada, due to travel restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As most PNP and CEC candidates are already likely to be waiting for their permanent residency applications in Canada, the IRCC has opted to focus on sending out invitations to these categories in order to meet their immigration goals for 2021.
As of these draws, and largely owing to the record-breaking February 13 draw, the IRCC is now halfway to reaching the target for Express Entry candidates this year, having sent out a whopping total of 49,124 ITAs in only the first quarter of the year.
About the Express Entry System
The federal Express Entry system was established in 1995 to manage Canada’s pool of economic immigration candidates. Those interested can choose to submit a profile to apply to any of the following economic-class migration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP); the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP); and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC); in order to qualify for permanent residency.
Applicants with an active profile are then given a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, a ranking based on a number of human capital factors, such as age, education, work experience, language skills, and more.
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