Last week, Canada held back-to-back Express Entry draws inviting candidates from both the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
On August 18 and 19, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 463 PNP candidates and 3,000 CEC candidates to apply for permanent residency, a total of 3,463 in two days.
Each draw had its own Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirement and tie-break rule.
Express Entry: PNP
For the 463 PNP candidates to have received a nomination for this draw, they needed to score at least 751 points. PNP Express Entry candidates typically have higher score requirements, as they receive an additional 600 points upon successfully obtaining a provincial nomination.
As of this draw, IRCC has conducted 16 PNP-linked draws this year. The focus on PNP remains as candidates in this program often fulfill labor market needs for a specific province.
In order to have received an invitation for this round, candidates needed to submit their profile before April 13th, 2021 at 16:29:29 UTC.
Express Entry: CEC
For the CEC 3,000 candidates who were invited on August 19, a minimum CRS score of 403 points was required. CEC candidates tend to have lower score requirements, usually averaging at 400 points.
This has allowed for some of the largest draw sizes in the history of the Express Entry program, from the historical 27,000 draw in March this year, to draw sizes averaging at 6,000 invited candidates.
A cut-off rule was also applied to this draw, inviting only candidates who were able to submit their profiles prior to August 01, 2021 at 10:13:57 UTC.
CEC and PNP Draws
Canada continues to focus on inviting candidates who are more likely to have already settled within their borders. While travel restrictions have begun to ease as vaccination continues, Canada still has yet to invite candidates in other economic immigration classes.
However, the IRCC does remain on track to achieving their goal of welcoming 108,000 permanent residents through the Express Entry program this 2021. At this point, they have already invited twice as many candidates as last year, with a total of 105,779 ITAs issued.
If you would like to learn more about Express Entry and other pathways to permanent residency, feel free to register for one of our private online discussions. Register to an orientation for free here.
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