August 5 draw issued a staggering 3,900 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residency in Canada. All the selected candidates were required to have a qualifying Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 476 and above. The cut-off CRS score is two points lesser than the minimum CRS score of 478 in July 8 draw.
Ever since Canada imposed travel restrictions in the view of COVID-19 pandemic, the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) modified the conduct of regular Express Entry draws between March 18 and July 8. Canada now focussed on nominating candidates for permanent residency only under two specific programs- the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), simply because most of these candidates were present in Canada. July 8 marked the resumption of all-program Express Entry draws and about a month later, IRCC held its second all-program Express Entry draws.
The second all-program Express Entry draw since March 18 and 158th Express Entry draw overall considered applications from a pool of candidates who could qualify under any one of the federal programs – Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skills Trade Program (FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC). This is of the indication that Canada is preferring to welcome more economic-class immigrants outside the country to apply for Canada PR.
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Record-breaking ITAs in 2020 despite the travel restrictions
In its vision document, Canada envisages welcoming over 1 million permanent residents by 2022. The target for the year 2020 was set to a healthy 85,800 ITAs through Express Entry. Despite the current travel restrictions, IRCC is on its path to recovery with the present tally of 61,600 ITAs.
Candidates registered in the Express Entry pool are assessed and ranked based on their Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS). It is majorly dependent on human capital factors such as age, education, work experience, and language proficiency in English or French.
Also, a candidate need not have a job offer to register their profile in the pool, however, those having one can fetch additional points under CRS.
Eventually, some candidates end up having the same CRS score. Hence, a Tie-break rule is applied to resolve it. IRCC uses timestamp recording Jully 27, at 01:02:47 UTC. It means only who had registered their profile in the Express Entry pool before the selected date and time and having CRS score above 476 were eligible to receive an ITA.
Draw Number | Date | Number of ITAs issues | Minimum CRS |
158 | August 5 | 3900 | 476 |
155 | July 8 | 3900 | 478 |
138 | March 4 | 3900 | 471 |
137 | February 19 | 4500 | 470 |
136 | February 5 | 3500 | 472 |
135 | January 22 | 3400 | 471 |
134 | January 8 | 3400 | 473 |
Program-specific Express Entry draws in 2020
A total of 17 program-specific Express Entry draws were conducted in 2020. Candidates were selected from an Express Entry pool to be considered for programs such as Provincial Nominee Programs or Canadian Experience Class. Candidates to qualify for the CEC-specific draw must have at least one year of full-time work experience in Canada. Based on current provincial nominations, eligible candidates are issued ITAs under PNP-specific draws.
Draw Number | Date | Number of ITAs issues | Minimum CRS |
156 | July 22 | 557 | 687 (PNP-specific) |
154 | June 25 | 3508 | 431 (CEC-specific) |
153 | June 24 | 392 | 696 (PNP-specific) |
152 | June 11 | 3551 | 437 (CEC-specific) |
151 | June 10 | 341 | 743 (PNP-specific) |
150 | May 28 | 3515 | 440 (CEC-specific) |
149 | May 27 | 385 | 757 (PNP-specific) |
148 | May 15 | 3371 | 447 (CEC-specific) |
147 | May 13 | 529 | 718 (PNP-specific) |
146 | May 1 | 3311 | 452 (CEC-specific) |
145 | April 29 | 589 | 692 (PNP-specific) |
144 | April 16 | 3782 | 455 (CEC-specific) |
143 | April 15 | 118 | 808 (PNP-specific) |
142 | April 9 | 3294 | 464 (CEC-specific) |
141 | April 9 | 606 | 698 (PNP-specific) |
140 | March 23 | 3232 | 467 (CEC-specific) |
139 | March 18 | 668 | 720 (PNP-specific) |
Canada has the most versatile and flexible immigration policies compare to other developed, western countries. If you are looking for better career opportunities, or want to study abroad, or become a successful entrepreneur, Canada is your perfect destination! Get in touch with our consultants to plan a detailed prospect for your Immigration to Canada.