Canada invited 5,000 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence on March 18.
Invited candidates needed to be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and have a score of at least 449 in order to receive an Invitation to Apply. Some of the basic eligibility requirements for the CEC include one year of full-time skilled work experience in Canada, and intermediate official language skills among other criteria.
Candidates who had the minimum score of 449 were only included if they submitted their Express Entry profile before February 19, 2021 UTC, as per the tie-break rule.
This new CEC-only draw shows that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is continuing to prioritize in-Canada immigration applicants, while travel restrictions are still in place. About 77 per cent of Express Entry candidates in Canada are eligible for the CEC, according to IRCC data from March 8.
“While travel restrictions are still in place, the federal government has opted to focus on Express Entry candidates who are already in Canada in order to meet its immigration targets for 2021.” said Attorney David Cohen, Senior Partner of Campbell Cohen. “IRCC has been doing this by holding PNP- and CEC-specific draws.”
The previous Express Entry draw on March 17 targeted Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates, another group that is likely to have strong ties to Canada. PNP-only candidates have demonstrated to the province that nominated them that they have the necessary skills to support the regional labour market. These candidates have higher CRS scores because receiving a PNP automatically grants Express Entry candidates an additional 600 points.
Because of this record-smashing draw, the number of ITAs issued in 2021 is already 43,840. At this time last year, IRCC had issued 19,368.
To make up for a lack of new permanent residents admitted in 2020, Canada has committed to bring in 401,000 new immigrants in 2021. Of those, 108,500 are expected to come through Express Entry-managed programs.
