Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held a surprise nomination draw for permanent residence (PR) on April 16, just before the weekend.
With this, Canada remains committed to fulfilling its annual target of welcoming at least 108,000 eligible candidates through Express Entry programs in 2021. In fact, IRCC has managed to issue nearly 55,390 ITAs for Canada PR through program-specific Express Entry draws, thus far.
The latest draw targeted only those candidates who qualified for the Canada Experience Class (CEC) program. Such candidates include recent graduates or temporary work permit holders having at least one year of work experience inside Canada.
All the selected candidates will receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) if their application for Canada PR is successful. Hereon, candidates need to plan for their travel to Canada and later, apply for their PR card. Further, they can even think of securing citizenship after 3 years of stay in Canada.
Highlights of April 16 Express Entry Draws
IRCC invited only CEC candidates contrary to the regular all-program draw that includes candidates qualifying under either the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) or the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) or those with a prior provincial nomination, in addition to Canada Experience Class (CEC).
April 16 Express Entry draws included:
- Large Nomination Draw Size: Unlike the previous PNP-specific draws where only 266 candidates were invited, the CEC-specific draw expanded the draw size to 6,000 invitations to apply (ITAs) for Canada PR. It is known to be the second-largest draw size in Express Entry’s history.
Any foreign skilled workers, preferably graduating in Canada, and with at least one year of work experience inside Canada may qualify for a CEC-specific draw.
- Qualifying CRS points: Any profile that is registered in the federal Express Entry pool will be ranked and evaluated out of a total of 1200 points based on a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). It considered human capital factors like age, education, work experience outside Canada, language proficiency in English/French, spouse adaptability, Canadian study experience, etc.
Candidates who receive provincial nominations through ‘enhanced’ PNP streams will get an additional 600 points towards their CRS score. However, this is not applicable in this case.
April 16 draw selected candidates having a minimum CRS score of 417 which is 15 points lower than the previous CEC-specific draw held on April 03.
- Tie-break Rule: Usually, IRCC applies a tie-break rule to avoid confusion in the rankings due to the same CRS score awarded to two or more candidates. This draw invited candidates who had a minimum score of 417 and only if they submitted their Express Entry profile before March 1, 2021, at 19:53:46 UTC.
Candidates with prior provincial nominations are considered for alternative Express Entry draws held by IRCC.
Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility for upcoming draws.
Recently, IRCC reported that about 50% of new permanent residents who came to Canada between 2005 and 2015 (2.8 million) were able to secure their citizenship by December 31, 2018.
With 55,399 ITAs already issued for Canada PR through Express Entry draws in 2021, now is a good time to consult your immigration agency and determine your eligibility for Canadian immigration.
CanApprove is offering free consultation and a chance to improve your work profile to qualify for a Canada residence visa in a quick time.