The first draw for skilled immigrants to be held since December 2020
Express Entry draws for skilled Immigrants overseas resumes again
The first draw to be held since December 2020, a year and a half ago
July 6th, 2022 was a fairly significant day for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), as an Express Entry draw for Federal Skilled Workers (FSWP) was held for the first time since December 2020. The draw resulted in a total of 1,500 eligible candidates receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITAs)
The draw included candidates from the Canadian Experience Class program as well. The last time CEC candidates were selected for draws was nearly a year ago in September 2021.
In order to qualify, candidates had to meet the required Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off score, which was 557.
This was a really big deal because traditionally the FSWP has been Canada’s main way of welcoming newcomers into the country. Prior to the pandemic, this program resulted in the largest number of invitations issued, making up approximately 45% of the total number of people coming in through Express Entry.
It was also really great news for CEC candidates since that’s the main way in which international students and foreign workers are selected for permanent residency in Canada.
Earlier this year, the Minister of IRCC, Sean Fraser, expressed his intentions to resume all-program draws in the summer. Which is what happened.
Prior to the draw being held, Minister Fraser took to twitter to announce that the Express Entry draw would proceed as planned.
He expects the applications to be processed within the six months standard processing time.
The federal government has made it clear that immigration will be a top priority for 2022, and they are working hard to reach their Immigration Levels Plans 2022-2024.
Now that the first round of invitations has been held, it will be exciting to see what the coming months bring.