5,127 immigration candidates can now apply to become permanent residents in Canada as IRCC held two back to back PNP and CEC-only draws. The two draws bring Canada closer to meeting its target of inviting 108,500 candidates through Express Entry-managed programs.
PNP candidates invited in new Express Entry draw
Candidates with CRS score of 760 eligible in latest IRCC draw
The third quarter of the year began with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) holding a round of invitations for Express Entry candidates on July 7, 2021.
A total of 627 candidates received an invitation to apply for permanent residency through this draw.
Only candidates who successfully received a nomination from a Provincial Nomination Program (PNP) were eligible for this draw. They were also required to meet a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 760 or higher.
Since applicants with nominations automatically receive 600 points on their CRS score, this means their actual, existing score is just 160!
A cut-off time was published by IRCC for the tie-break rule. In addition to meeting the minimum CRS score, candidates had to have submitted their Express Entry profile by June 14, 2021 at 07:44:05 UTC. Any profiles submitted after this time were not considered.
Because Canada is trying to meet its 2021 immigration targets, IRCC has exclusively held PNP and CEC only draws with the majority of the invitations going to applicants who are already living and working in Canada.
The government adopted this strategy as a way to deal with the pandemic related travel restrictions.
4,500 CEC candidates invited by Canada
CRS score stays low at 369 for new round of invitations
Following the PNP-only draw, IRCC held a second draw on July 8, 2021 draw which was Canadian Experience Class (CEC) specific. The draw resulted in 4,500 invitations being issued.
Like most of the draws held so far this year, the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score remained low at 369 points only but it was slightly higher compared to the previous CEC-specific draw.
As per the usual administrative procedures, a tie-break rule was established. Any profiles submitted after June 10, 2021 at 22:46:37 UTC were not eligible for the draw. They may be considered for a future draw.
By holding frequent and large draws, IRCC is steadily reaching its target of issuing 108,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) before the year is out. Since January, a total of 93,842 ITAs have been issued. A few more draws and Canada will easily meet its goal.
Last year at this time, only 53,800 immigration candidates had received invitations! This year we’re almost at double.
Why are the numbers so high this year? The pandemic had a significant impact on immigration numbers last year, so IRCC is trying to catch up.
In addition, they are hoping to process applications within 6 months so by focusing on issuing invitations in the first half of the year, they will focus on completing the landings in the second half of the year.