On January 5, 2022, Immigration, Refugees adn Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held its first draw of the year.
First Express Entry draw of 2022 held by IRCC
PNP candidates targeted in Canada’s first draw of the new year
Canada is wasting no time in working towards its immigration goals for 2022.
On January 5, 2022, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held its first draw of the year.
A total of 392 Express Entry candidates who have successfully received a provincial nomination were selected to apply for their permanent residency.
The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score that had to be met was 808. This is higher than the cutoff scores required for the majority of last year’s draws. However, since provincial nominee candidates automatically receive 600 points on their original CRS score, the actual score required for each candidate is low, at 208.
Since September of last year, IRCC has been holding Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws only in order to allow immigration officers to process and work through the backlog of applications. The department is aiming to cut the Express Entry backlogs by half before they start issuing invitations in other programs.
In Trudeau’s mandate letter to the Minister of IRCC, the Honorable Sean Fraser; immigration is outlined as top priority for the Liberal government.
If this draw held in the very first week of the new year is any indication, IRCC is ready to hit the ground running.
Further details on how IRCC plans to tackle the priorities outlined in the mandate letter have not yet been released, more information is expected to flow in the near future.