ISA Global

On September 29, Canada welcomed 761 Express Entry hopefuls to apply for permanent residency.

Candidates who were invited had already obtained nominations through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which resulted in an automatic 600-point boost to their Express Entry score. Candidates needed a score of at least 742 to be invited as a consequence of the award.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 521 PNP candidates with scores of at least 732 in the last PNP draw. The new draw is larger, but it also has a higher score cutoff, implying that the Provincial Nominee Class pool contains more high-scoring individuals.

Details regarding ITAs issued till date

This year, the IRCC received more Express Entry applications for permanent residency than ever before. Through the Express Entry method, IRCC issued 107,350 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in 2020. With three months left in the year, it has already sent out more than 108,000 invitations.

On February 13, when IRCC invited every single Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidate in the pool, the number of ITAs skyrocketed.

IRCC has only held CEC and PNP draws thus far this year. As a result, the minimum score cutoffs have risen and fallen. Because PNP candidates have all gotten a 600-point award, the minimum score is much greater if there is a PNP draw.

Because the invited candidates are not competing with candidates who are qualified for other programs, CEC draws tend to be smaller. However, if the CEC draw is significantly lower, the score cutoff could be raised because IRCC is cutting less off the top.

Details about the Express Entry System

The online Express Entry system is used to manage applications for Canada’s most popular immigration programs. The Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program are the three programs that utilize Express Entry. In the EE pool, PNP candidates have already qualified for one of these programs. They filed for and obtained a nomination from a province, which increased their score by 600 points.

Express Entry ranks candidates’ profiles using a points-based mechanism known as the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Candidates with the highest scores receive an Invitation to Seek (ITA), which they can use to apply for permanent residency.

The application is then reviewed by an IRCC officer, who makes a decision. They will request biometrics and may schedule an interview or request more documentation.

IRCC issues a Confirmation of Permanent Residence if the application is approved (COPR). Permanent residents who have been approved can then finish the landing process. If they are outside of Canada, they can take advantage of pre-arrival services to assist them in taking the first steps toward settling in.