Latest Express Entry Draws Invites 5,956 Candidates With Prior Canadian Experience For PR

The month of May 2021 ended in delight as the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held a major Express Entry draw.

Express Entry system that manages applications of such candidates who qualify for one of the three federal immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

The 190th Express Entry draw held on May 31 targeted only those candidates in the federal pool with previous Canadian work experience, or Canadian Experience Class. A brief summary of the nomination draw is as below:

Massive Draw Size: Canada showed a significant improvement over the last CEC-only draws and invited an exuberant 5,956 eligible candidates to apply for permanent residency. All the invited candidates have already demonstrated their work experience of at least one year inside Canada.

Lowest Qualifying Score: Any prospective candidates that seek to register their profile for consideration under the Express Entry system shall be assessed and ranked based on a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

Such profiles are evaluated on a total of 1200 points and considers human capital factors like age, education, work experience outside Canada, language proficiency in English/French, spouse adaptability, Canadian study experience, etc. Those who receive provincial nominations through ‘enhanced’ PNP streams will get an additional 600 points towards their CRS score.

May 31 draw selected candidates having a minimum CRS score of 380 which is a significant drop of 17 points from the previous CEC-specific draw. Furthermore, the qualifying score of 380 is the second-lowest in 2021.

Tie-Break Rule: IRCC applies a tie-break rule to avoid disputes in the rankings in the case where two or more candidates are awarded the same CRS score. Details of no such tie-break rule were released by IRCC for this draw.

Express Entry in 2021

Canada continues to invite candidates living in Canada amid the coronavirus pandemic through regular Express Entry draws in 2021.

To be more specific, only program-specific draws linked to either Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) or Canada Experience Class (CEC) have been held so far. This has led to the exclusion of such candidates who qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).

FSWP candidates are mostly foreign skilled workers who do not have work experience inside Canada and do not hold a job offer in Canada. However, they may qualify for permanent residency based on their age, language proficiency, education, and relevant work experience abroad. Their temporary exclusion may be largely due to the COVID-related travel restrictions internationally.

With Canada set to welcome nearly 108,500 new immigrants through Express Entry-managed programs in 2021 alone, candidates under FSWP should not lose any hope of receiving an ITA for Canada PR. So far, more than half, i.e. 74,773 candidates from the federal Express Entry pool have been already invited to apply for permanent residency.

Canada even continues to hold provincial nominee program draws as well that target foreign immigrants to apply for provincial nomination. Click here to get a quick review of nomination draws in the months of January, February, March, and April 2021.

You Could Be Next!

With this hypothetical example, you may assume your chances of qualifying Express Entry draws for permanent residency in Canada.

Seema is 31 years old and holds a bachelor’s degree from a certain University in Canada. By virtue of her graduation in Canada, she was employed in Canada as a Graphics Designer. She also has work experience of 4 years in her home country. Seema has an average score of 6 in each category of IELTS. On submitting her Express Entry profile earlier this month, she fetched a total of 433 CRS points. This proved to be more than even to clear the cut-off for receiving ITAs for PR in this 190th Express Entry draw.

In fact, all-program Express Entry draws also consider candidates with no work experience in Canada.

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility for permanent residency.

Get in touch with CanApprove to know more about your chances of immigrating to Canada. Schedule a personalized appointment to know about your prospectus of Canadian Immigration in 2021.

1122 Candidates Qualify To Apply For Canada PR In Four New Provincial Nominee Draws

Ever since the launch of Express Entry in 2015, Canada’s process of issuing permanent residency has been streamlined into just three federal programs, all managed by the Express Entry system.

All Provincial Nominee Program (PNPs) are then classified into ‘base’ & ‘enhanced’ streams. Candidates invited under ‘base’ provincial streams are those who do not qualify for Express Entry and majorly have prior experience in Canada through temporary permits. Those under ‘enhanced’ streams are registered in the federal Express Entry pool and most do not have previous work experience inside Canada.

Such candidates are then invited to apply for provincial nominations. This will bring them one step closer to apply for permanent residency.

In the last week of May, the Canadian province of Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta were seen actively inviting up to 1122 immigration candidates to apply for provincial nominations.

Let’s have look at the results of these provincial draws.

‘Base’ Provincial Nominee Draw from Manitoba & Saskatchewan

Manitoba issued 232 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) to eligible candidates in its new provincial draw on May 25 under the following streams:

Skilled Workers in Manitoba – 166 invitations with a minimum EOI score of 415;
Skilled Workers Overseas – 46 invitations with a minimum EOI score of 703; and
International Education Stream -20 invitations with no EOI score requirement.

Additionally. 20 more invitations went to Express Entry candidates.

The Skilled Workers Overseas Category and Skilled Workers in Manitoba streams are designed to allow the province to identify candidates who meet its labor market needs. Further, International graduates who complete education in Manitoba are eligible to receive an LAA under the International Education Stream if they demonstrate that they have in-demand skills.

On the other hand, Saskatchewan invited 269 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence on May 25. The provincial invitations were focused on candidates having work experience in one of the 36 in-demand occupations listed on the government webpage.

In order to get nominated from Manitoba & Saskatchewan, you must register an Expression of Interest with the province. Manitoba then ranks candidates out of 1,000 points for their human capital factors, as well as their connections to the province. Whereas, Saskatchewan ranks candidates out of 100 points for the same human capital factors.

‘Enhanced’ Provincial Nominee Draw from Alberta & British Columbia

On May 18, Alberta invited 250 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination. The Alberta Express Entry Stream is for those candidates in the federal Express Entry pool and who have strong ties to Alberta. Candidates need to have work experience in an eligible occupation and a minimum score of 300 to receive an invitation from Alberta.

British Columbia sent out 370 invitations to another set of Express Entry candidates through two provincial draws held on May 25. Interestingly, British Columbia is also the province that has issued the most number of provincial nominations so far.

Following the trend, eligible candidates from the Skills Immigration (SI) and Express Entry BC (EEBC) streams of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) received invitations in the first draw. The second draw called for candidates whose occupation falls under NOC 0621 or NOC 0631.

Any candidate who is willing to receive provincial nominations under B.C. PNP will have to register themselves under B.C.’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). Further, registered profiles are assigned a score based on factors such as education, work experience, and language skills.

The minimum scores for the first draw ranged between 76 and 94 points for a total of 323 candidates. The second targeted draw resulted in 47 invitations with scores of 111.

Canada is set to invite up to 80,800 new immigration candidates through various Provincial Nominee Programs alone in 2021. Contact CanApprove to know your best chances of immigration.

Ontario Adds 158 More International Graduates As Its Provincial Nominees For Canada PR

The Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) held two new nomination draws on May 26 inviting more recent foreign graduates from the new Expression of Interest (EOI) pool.

The province had earlier held a nomination draw last week inviting international graduates to apply for provincial nomination under the Ontario Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream.

May 26 provincial draw issued 158 international students an EOI score of at least 73 to apply for provincial nomination under the Ontario Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream. They are those candidates who have recently graduated from any Canadian Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs).

This is the third ‘base’ draw following the new intake system.

Following the introduction of the new ‘two-step immigration’ system, all the invited candidates were selected from the new Expression of Interest (EOI) pool.

To begin your process of qualifying for OINP draws, interested candidates must register their EOI profiles. Upon registration, their profiles will be evaluated and ranked on factors like job skill level, total work experience, education, proficiency in English or French. Study or work experience inside Canada can fetch you additional points.

Further, any foreign applicant can qualify under the International Student stream provided:

They have job offers in Ontario before applying.
They must have completed any study program at a Canadian Designated Learning Institution (DLI).
They must demonstrate intent to settle permanently in the province.

Additionally, OINP is at its discretion to allow up to 10 points to respond to labor market needs. On successfully receiving a provincial nomination, candidates are open to apply for permanent residency with the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

To know more about DLIs that match your academic profile, give us a call here or take this free assessment online.

Why International Students Are Preferring To Study Abroad In Canada?

International students not just contribute to the local economy but also serve as a large pool of highly educated people. The province had already set its annual allocation target to 8,350 candidates for Canada PR.

Statistics Canada outlined the performance of international students in Canadian Institutions in the period before the onset of the current pandemic. Interestingly, the report pegged the past enrolment rate of international students in post-secondaries in Canada at three times the rate of domestic students.

In the past decade, the enrolment rates of international students in Canada grew up to enrolments for international students tripled from 101,000 to more than 318,000. The report also noted a growth in intake of students in the STEM study courses, business, management, and public administration programs.

Canada’s opportunity immigration system provides for excellent retaining of foreign talent. The report highlighted that over 30% of international students who got Canadian bachelor’s degrees and almost 50% of international students who graduated with master’s degrees became permanent residents within 10 years after they got their first study permit.

Read more on choosing among the best student cities in Canada.

Further, it is important to understand the process of popular economic-class pathways such as Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to qualify for Canada PR. Click here to know more.

If study abroad is in your mind, Canada is among the most favorable destinations to choose. Contact CanApprove to get started.

Qualifying CRS Score Drops 39 Points Compared To Previous PNP-specific Express Entry Draw

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held another program-specific Express Entry draw on May 26.

This is the 189th Express Entry draw which targeted only candidates with prior provincial nominations. A summary of the nomination draw is as below:

Draw Size Saw A Marginal Decline: Canada invites 57 fewer candidates than the previous PNP-only draw resulting in a total of 500 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residency.

All the invited candidates have already demonstrated their connection to a province or territory and experience to succeed in the labour market by securing a provincial nomination.

Further, they may qualify to receive invitations for permanent residency through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, or Canadian Experience Class.

Decreased Qualifying Score: Any prospective candidates that seek to register their profile for consideration under the Express Entry system shall be assessed and ranked based on a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

May 26 draw selected candidates with a minimum CRS score of 713, 39 points lower than the previous PNP-specific draw. This also means that without nomination, candidates who were nominated were required only to have a score of 113.

Tie-Break Rule: IRCC applies a tie-break rule to avoid disputes in the rankings in the case where two or more candidates are awarded the same CRS score. This draw invited candidates who had a minimum score of 713 and only submitted their Express Entry profile before April 06, 2021, at 09:50:14 UTC.

Express Entry in 2021

IRCC has regularly held Express Entry draws in 2021. Only program-specific draws linked to either Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) or Canada Experience Class (CEC) have been held so far, thereby ignoring the candidates who qualified under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). This may be largely due to the COVID-related travel restrictions internationally.

Canada is set to welcome 108,500 new immigrants through Express Entry-managed programs in 2021 alone. So far, more than half, 68,817 Express Entry candidates have been already invited to apply for permanent residency.

Click here to get a quick review of nomination draws in January, February, March, and April 2021.

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility for permanent residency.

For more latest updates on Canadian immigration, contact CanApprove.

Demand For Foreign Talents In Canada Set To Increase With Many U.S. Employers Looking For Cross-Border Expansion

In its crucial phase of economic recovery, Canada is witnessing many U.S. companies set up its footprint or is expanding their base in Canada.

In a survey conducted by Envoy Global, a U.S. immigration services provider, 500 human resource professionals and hiring managers across the U.S. were surveyed about their desirability to shift to Canada. About 31% of surveyed U.S. employers have explicitly mentioned their desire to expand to Canada. Whereas 57% of respondents were either looking to expand to Canada or already did.

Canada’s liberal immigration system and quality of foreign skilled worker intake are known to have influenced the respondents.

The survey also revealed that many U.S. companies had hired foreign workers in Canada in the last two three years. Evidently, the immigration system in the U.S. is far more restrictive than Canada which offers over 100+ economic-class immigration programs. As a result, Canada offers a larger quantity of visas available and more pathways to permanent residency.

The report further calls for reforms in the US immigration system without which the country would lose both employers and new foreign talent to countries with more favourable immigration policies, such as Canada.

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility for various Canadian immigration programs.

Qualify for Canada Economic-Class Immigration Programs

Express Entry: Since 2015, the Express Entry system has been the frontrunner in welcoming the maximum number of foreign skilled workers in Canada. It is a tool to manage three federal immigration programs- the Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trade Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Any interested candidate is required to register in the Express Entry pool. Upon registration, their profiles are evaluated and ranked based on a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). It is majorly based on core human capital factors like age, educational qualifications, work experience, proficiency in English or French. Click here to know how evaluating criteria may differ when applying for Canada PR along with your spouse.

With regular conduct of nomination draws by the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), a required number of invitations to apply for permanent residency are issued to eligible candidates. These candidates usually have their CRS score over and above the qualifying score determined in each draw.

Canada is eyeing about 108,000 ITAs for Canada PR in 2021, out of which nearly 60,000 ITAs have already been issued to eligible candidates.

Provincial Nominee Programs: Over the three successful decades in inviting foreign skilled workers, PNPs have become the second most important avenue for them to obtain permanent residence in Canada. The unique arrangement between federal, provincial and territorial governments have allowed a certain degree of autonomy for provincial and territorial governments in selecting desirable candidates suiting to their unique labour demands.

PNPs can expedite your permanent residency process by issuing provincial nominations to those candidates who have either graduated from any institution located in the province or have some work experience in the province. Additionally, Express Entry candidates with a successful provincial nomination may receive up to 600 points to their overall CRS score. This is more than enough to guarantee their permanent residency in Canada.

Canada is targeting up to 80,800 ITAs for provincial nominations in 2021. So far, the most active provinces such as British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia have achieved about 25% of the total target in terms of issuing nominations.

Business Immigration: Canada is also looked upon as an ideal place for entrepreneurs/investors to migrate and establish their own businesses. Through a range of federal programs like Canada Start-up Visa, Canada Investors Visas and provinces like British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario boasting of a dedicated immigration stream, investors/entrepreneurs can plan to settle permanently in Canada.

If you are looking for better career chances and high living standards, there’s no easier option than to immigrate to Canada. Contact CanApprove to help you identify your suitable immigration stream.

Prince Edward Island Extends 155 Provincial Nominations In New Draw

Canada is expected to admit over 80,800 new immigrants through Provincial Nominee Program (PNPs) alone in 2021. Following which is a new nomination draw held by the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) on May 20.

PEI ended up issuing 155 invitations to apply (ITAs) for a provincial nomination under either one of the three streams: Express Entry, Labour Impact, and Business Impact. Over 138 invitations were issued to Express Entry and Labour Impact candidates and the remaining 17 invitations went to Business Impact candidates who had a minimum point threshold of 80.

Population growth is seen as important to sustaining the economic growth in Atlantic Canada. Recognizing this, the four Atlantic provinces – Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick – are making significant efforts to welcome and retain more immigrants.

Other active Canadian provinces since the beginning of 2021 include British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia. More details here.

Did you know? Prince Edward Island, regarded as Canada’s smallest province, has the country’s highest population growth rate and as a result, it enjoys Canada’s highest per capita intake of newcomers.

Qualify for Canada PR Under PEI PNP

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are designed to accommodate the specific and specialized labor market demand of Canada’s provinces and territories. A successful provincial nomination will act in favour of reducing the time taken to obtain permanent residency at a later stage.

Since the launch of the federal Express Entry system in 2015, all the immigration streams under Canada PNP are categorized into two: ‘enhanced’ provincial streams and ‘base’ nomination streams.

In order to be considered for nominations under PEI PNP provincial draws, candidates must create an Expression Of Interest (EOI) profile with the province. EOI profiles are given points based on the province’s unique points grid. The highest-scoring candidates are then invited to apply through monthly draws.

If a candidate is already registered in the federal Express Entry pool, they could qualify for provincial nomination under the PEI PNP Express Entry category.

Foreigners like Skilled Workers, Critical Workers, and International Graduates with a valid job offer in PEI, and having support from their employer may qualify under the Labour Impact category.

Prince Edward Island also favours the immigration of foreign entrepreneurs to boost its economy. Such candidates are issued invitations under the Work Permit Stream, which is for foreign entrepreneurs who want to own and operate a business in PEI. They required a provincial score of above 80 points in order to receive nominations.

Fulfilling the determined residence requirement in Canada, eligible candidates having a provincial nomination can apply to the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residency.

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility to get a provincial nomination.

Contact CanApprove to get the necessary legal and documentation support for immigration. We also provide free counseling sessions to help you choose the best immigration program matching your work profile.

Annual Allocations To Ontario Set At 8,350 Provincial Nominations in 2021

2021 is already proving to be a significant year for immigration to Canada under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).

With the latest allocations of immigration targets by the federal government, Ontario is now eyeing to welcome at least 8,350 eligible candidates to apply for permanent residency (PR). Typically, foreign workers with Canadian work experience in occupations relating to National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level 0, A, B. Such jobs include Managerial positions, Experts in certain fields, Professionals, Supervisors with graduate-level or higher education qualifications.

An additional 250 nominations will be made specifically for temporary foreign workers with a National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level C. Skill level C jobs are typically desirable for applicants with high school education or specific job training.

Earlier this year, Ontario shifted its intake system to the Expression of Interest (EOI) model. This allows the province to invite & assess applications for immigration from interested candidates in advance and nominate them as per the labor demand need. It goes on to save a lot of processing and evaluation time as well as facilitate quick immigration to Canada.

Provincial Nominee Programs in Canada are designed to nominate desirable candidates autonomously to support its peculiar economic needs.

Interestingly, Ontario is one of the most preferred provinces for immigration. As such, many PNP immigrants succeed in Ontario’s labor market, getting jobs in their first year of landing.

There are two broad classifications of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP):

Base PNPs, like the Employer Job Offer Category, operate independently within the province.
Enhanced PNPs, like the Ontario Express Entry Streams, invite candidates who have submitted profiles to the Express Entry system.

A provincial nomination aids in obtaining permanent residency in quick time, however not to be treated as a guarantee of permanent residency.

Canadian Immigration Under Ontario Provincial Programs

For some Ontario PNPs, you can apply without ever having set foot in Canada such as the Human Capital Priorities Stream. Others require you to have a job offer or at least domestic education as in the case of the Master’s Graduate stream.

One another provincial category is Ontario Tech Draw which selects desirable candidates who are registered under the federal Express Entry pool for provincial nominations.

Only the candidates qualifying for federal programs like the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) are recognized by Ontario’s Human Capital Priority stream for nominations.

Interested candidates need not have a job offer while applying but must have work experience in one of the following Tech-based occupations:

In-demand occupations – Ontario Tech Draws
NOC 0213	Computer and information systems managers
NOC 2147	Computer engineers
NOC 2172	Database analysts and data administrators
NOC 2173	Software engineers and designers
NOC 2174	Computer programmer and interactive media developers
NOC 2175	Web designers and developers

With the launch of an Expression of Interest (EOI) system for programs under its Employer Job Offer Category, immigration candidates who do not qualify under the Express Entry system can improve their chances to receive a provincial nomination.

Applying For Canada PR Through Express Entry

One can bypass the PNP streams and directly apply for Canada PR without the need for obtaining a provincial nomination first.

For the same reason, Canada Express Entry has become the most popular and preferred pathway for permanent residency in Canada. It manages application for three federal economic-class immigration programs such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Each profile that is registered in the Express Entry pool is assessed and ranked against each other according to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). It is based on candidates’ age, work experience, educational qualifications, and proficiency in English or French. Additionally, the adaptability skills of a spouse or a job offer in Canada can fetch additional points.

However, candidates without prior provincial nominations will not be eligible for additional 600 CRS points which could guarantee their ITA for Canada PR in upcoming Express Entry draws.

Weigh in your chances of being among the fortunate nominees from the applicants in the province’s Expression of Interest (EOI) pool. Further, Ontario’s Immigration Minister, Vic Fedeli, has lobbied the federal government to allocate nearly 13,300 nominations in 2022. This will only increase your prospects of obtaining permanent residency in Canada.

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility.

Contact CanApprove to know more and get started.

New Tech Pilot Pushes Total B.C Nominations in 2021 To 4,438

British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) held a new Tech Pilot nomination draw on May 18.

A total of 82 immigration candidates with work experience in selected occupations received an invitation to apply (ITA) for provincial nomination. These candidates are just one step away from obtaining permanent residency to settle in Canada.

The province issued invitations to eligible candidates under its Express Entry BC (EEBC) and Skills Immigration (SI) categories. All the invited candidates were from Skilled Worker & International Graduate sub-categories who required a minimum provincial score of 80 to qualify.

BC PNP Tech Pilot

The BC PNP Tech Pilot is a fast-track Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) for in-demand tech workers and international students.

The mandatory criteria for qualification under Tech Pilot include:

Registration through Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) in one of B.C.’s existing provincial immigration streams, EEBC or SI;
A valid job offer of at least 12 months in one of the Tech Pilot’s 29 eligible occupations.

All the registered applicants are evaluated and given a score which is based on the level of education, years of direct work experience and having a job offer in the province.

Express Entry candidates are in an advantageous position as they gain additional 600 points toward their Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score on receiving a successful provincial nomination. This will effectively guarantee an ITA in the upcoming federal Express Entry draw.

Consider Entrepreneur Immigration

The Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot allows British Columbia to work in partnership with regional communities of less than 75,000 people to welcome approved immigrant entrepreneurs who want to open a new business.

All interested foreign entrepreneurs must complete an exploratory visit to the community where they wish to set up their business and must obtain a community referral before registering for the pilot. Get in touch with our business formation experts to understand the process better.

Further, successful candidates are granted a temporary work permit on the basis of which you can apply for a provincial nomination from British Columbia. Eventually, you can obtain a permanent residence along with your family in a quick time.

Canada Extends Travel Restrictions To June 21

One may wonder if travel restrictions are still in place, how is Canada extending invitations to apply for permanent residency.

The Canadian borders are closed for non-essential travel such as entertainment, shopping, or tourism. However, certain individuals including:

permanent residents and their family members,
temporary foreign workers,
International students attending a learning institution with a COVID-19 readiness plan are exempted.

This opens the scope for immigration authorities to continue with their annual allocation target to issue nominations for permanent residency.

Candidates who are already present in Canada or have prior work/study experience in Canada are being considered for PR nominations. It is expected that more than 1.2 million new immigrants will be welcomed to Canada through various economic-class programs like Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programs by 2023.

Once Canada completes the vaccination of over 75% of its population, it will slowly open its borders to the world for non-essential travel. Until then, the travel restrictions are extended to June 21.

After that, it may lead to the resurgence of the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) which happens to be the most preferred pathway for permanent residency. Under it, foreign workers with no previous work experience or job offer in Canada may obtain ITAs in subsequent Express Entry draws.

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility for various Canadian immigration programs.

Give us a call to understand your prospects to immigrate to Canada in 2021 & beyond.

Canada Holds A Surprise Express Entry Draw Inviting CEC-Only For PR

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held yet another surprise Express Entry nomination draw on May 20, exclusively targeting candidates with prior work experience in Canada.

The 188th Express Entry is special because of the usually low minimum score requirement since the historic February 13 draw. Interestingly, it only required having a qualifying CRS of 75 points.

May 20 Express Entry draw invited a total of 1,842 candidates who may be eligible for permanent residence (PR) through the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). However, the draw size is certainly lower than the previous CEC-only draw held on May 13.

International students/recent graduates, temporary skilled workers are known to be the largest beneficiary groups under the CEC program.

Any prospective candidates that seek to register their profile for consideration under the Express Entry system shall be assessed and ranked based on a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Such profiles are evaluated on a total of 1200 points and considers human capital factors like age, education, work experience outside Canada, language proficiency in English/French, spouse adaptability, Canadian study experience, etc.

May 20 draw selected candidates having one of the lowest minimum CRS scores of 397 points.

In the case of two or more candidates being awarded the same CRS score, IRCC applies its tie-break rule to avoid any further disputes in the rankings. This draw invited candidates who had a minimum score of 397 and only if they submitted their Express Entry profile before April 24, 2021, at 12:09:24 UTC.

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility for permanent residency.

Candidates With Prior Experience Being Preferred

Since the beginning of 2021, Canada has been consistent in holding Express Entry nomination draws which specifically targeted candidates having some experience in Canada. It was either through selecting candidates with provincial nominations or candidates qualifying under the Canadian Experience Class program.

Closely adhering to its annual target of nearly 108,800 ITAs, Canada has already invited upto 68,317 candidates to apply for PR in 2021. Canada will have to give disproportionate importance to the Express Entry-managed programs to achieve an overwhelming target of inviting nearly 1.2 million new immigration by 2023.

Express Entry-managed programs include the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skills Trades Program (FSTP). Applicants having a provincial nomination are effectively guaranteed an invitation to apply for permanent residency.

You Could Be Next!

With this hypothetical example, you may assume your chances of qualifying for permanent residency in Canada.

Majid has a bachelor’s degree and has been working in Canada as a database analyst for just over one year. He is 36 years old and already had a working experience of 6 years, prior to coming to Canada. Considering such factors, Majid’s CRS score of 456 would have been sufficient to qualify for this new draw.

Express Entry draws also consider candidates with no work experience in Canada. Get in touch with CanApprove to know more about your chances of immigrating to Canada.

Parliamentary Report Looks At COVID Impact On Canadian Immigration & Suggest Measures To Implement

The Parliament Committee report on the impact of immigration in Canada made innovative and practical suggestions like making Canadian immigration all-inclusive, digitising the intake system, newer PR pathways for essential workers and more, to implement in the coming term.

The report was presented in the House of Commons on May 13 by Salma Zahid, the committee’s Chair. It is a compilation of the findings of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration from the testimonies of immigrants, lawyers, interest groups and other stakeholders.

Further, the liberal party government at the federal level is supposed to table a response on the report within 120 days. Interestingly, some of the recommendations made in the report to improve Canadian immigration are already in place to a certain extent.

All-Inclusive Approach Towards Immigration

The committee report calls for publishing anonymous processing and application data for all immigration streams, disaggregated by applicants’ race, religion, gender, age, source-country, and parental status.

This is to build an all-inclusive intake system that allows entry into Canada purely based on merits.

The report also suggests the government come up with real-time tracking of immigration applications and provide realistic processing times for individual applicants. Further, officers are also expected to release full records for any application refusal. It will help boost immigration intakes.

The committee has also forwarded a proposal to create an immigration ombudsperson to oversee IRCC and receive complaints.

Recommends Digitalization Of Immigration Intake

Six of the report recommendations call for the digitalization of the immigration system.

The committee believes in digitizing the immigration intake system alongside paper applications fully. The main intent behind this is to make applicants submit all the required documents and signatures online at once, rather than waiting for officials to ask for credentials after applying. It will result in a significant reduction in overall processing times.

The report also recommended holding immigration interviews virtually and issuing visas electronically. Having a scannable barcode for Permanent residency (PR) visas instead of being affixed to physical passports was also one of its recommendations.

Surprisingly, the Canadian government announced $430 million to modernize the immigration system in its latest budget estimates. Such recommendations could be well accommodated within the estimates.

International Student Immigration To Increase

Canada is expected to continue its efforts to welcome and retain more foreign talent in the coming years. The committee has made a strong suggestion to start welcoming International students to enter Canada and study in person.

Get in touch with our overseas education counsellors to know your prospects.

Prioritizing Family Immigration

Despite the concept of dual intent, foreign nationals can apply for both a temporary residence and permanent residence visa; immigration officers have been known to refuse applicants. This is because they are not satisfied that the applicant will leave at the end of their authorized stay.

As a result, many are separated from their spouses for the entire duration of the PR process.

The Parliamentary committee has made an innovative suggestion to create a Super Visa for spousal sponsorship applicants, like Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) applicants.

The report had called for adjusting the minimum financial requirements in the wake of the economic impact of the pandemic for PGP applicants.

Canada is definitely strengthening its approach towards welcoming more foreign talents in the coming years. If you wish to migrate for better career opportunities and high living standards, Canada can be your first choice!

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility for various Canadian immigration streams, or call our consultants today!

Archives: News

Latest Express Entry Draws Invites 5,956 Candidates With Prior Canadian Experience For PR

Express Entry in 2021

You Could Be Next!

1122 Candidates Qualify To Apply For Canada PR In Four New Provincial Nominee Draws

‘Base’ Provincial Nominee Draw from Manitoba & Saskatchewan

‘Enhanced’ Provincial Nominee Draw from Alberta & British Columbia

Ontario Adds 158 More International Graduates As Its Provincial Nominees For Canada PR

Why International Students Are Preferring To Study Abroad In Canada?

Qualifying CRS Score Drops 39 Points Compared To Previous PNP-specific Express Entry Draw

Express Entry in 2021

Demand For Foreign Talents In Canada Set To Increase With Many U.S. Employers Looking For Cross-Border Expansion

Qualify for Canada Economic-Class Immigration Programs

Prince Edward Island Extends 155 Provincial Nominations In New Draw

Qualify for Canada PR Under PEI PNP

Annual Allocations To Ontario Set At 8,350 Provincial Nominations in 2021

Canadian Immigration Under Ontario Provincial Programs

Applying For Canada PR Through Express Entry

New Tech Pilot Pushes Total B.C Nominations in 2021 To 4,438

BC PNP Tech Pilot

Consider Entrepreneur Immigration

Canada Extends Travel Restrictions To June 21

Canada Holds A Surprise Express Entry Draw Inviting CEC-Only For PR

Candidates With Prior Experience Being Preferred

You Could Be Next!

Parliamentary Report Looks At COVID Impact On Canadian Immigration & Suggest Measures To Implement

All-Inclusive Approach Towards Immigration

International Student Immigration To Increase

Prioritizing Family Immigration

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