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Biggest Express Entry Draw: Canada Issued 4,500 Invitations for Immigrants

The Canadian Government has open-hearted issued Express Entry for candidates. For the last two years, the numbers were 3,900, but this has been upped to 4,500 this year. Held on February 19, this was the largest draw by the Canadian Government. Before this draw, 3,500 ITA’s were issued in the draw of February 5, 2020.

The minimum score required under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) was 470. This requirement decreased by 2 points over the draw. It was earlier held on the 5th of this month.

The Express Entry System is for three skilled immigration categories in Canada – Federal Skilled Trades Class, Federal Skilled Worker Class, and Canadian Experience Class.

All eligible candidates are placed in the Express Entry pool and ranked based on the CRS score achieved. The CRS score takes into consideration factors like education, age, skilled work experience, and proficiency in English/French.

For a candidate to be eligible for an Express Entry Invitation to Apply (ITA), it is not mandatory that they have a job offer. However, additional CRS points are given to a candidate if they have a job offer in hand.

Candidates that have received high ranks get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency in Canada through draws from the Express Entry pool. These rounds for ITA are usually held once in two weeks. Most candidates selected belong to the three categories managed by Express Entry.

The Canadian Government takes six months to process the permanent residence applications that are filed through the Express Entry system.

The ITA has a target to offer permanent residency to 85,800 people. Therefore the Government needs to increase the number of invitations provided in each draw held.

The draw of February 19 was the 4th draw of the years 2020. Till now, the total number of ITA’s issued this year has reached 14,800.

All candidates that got a CRS score of 470 or more have received an ITA.

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What is the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System?

The CRS is a part of Canada’s Express Entry system that was set up in 2015 to speed-up the applications for permanent residence.

The score obtained from the CRS is used as a cut-off point in the draws of Express Entry. CRS helps in projecting whether or not the candidate that has applied for a permanent residency will be able to succeed economically in Canada or not.

Individuals that wish to migrate to Canada through Express Entry must create an Express Entry profile. Based on the information provided by the applicant in the profile regarding different eligibility factors like education, age, language proficiency, experience in work, etc., every candidate is awarded a CRS score out of 1200.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sets a cut-off score for every Express Entry draw. This cut-off score can change for every draw. All those that qualify are then issued the ITA for permanent residency in Canada. The CRS point system ensures that the Express Entry is impartial, impersonal and fair when it selects the candidates to migrate to Canada.

All candidates that wish to make their way into the Express Entry pool must be eligible under the Federal Skilled Trades Class, Federal Skilled Worker Class, or Canadian Experience Class.

Candidates who can get a provincial nomination through one of the Express Entry-aligned Provincial Nominee Program streams can get extra 600 CRS points. This will help them get an ITA in the next draw from the pool.

Alternate Ways to Get an Express Entry

Express Entry draw has the option to increase their points in different ways. One of the easiest ways to get more points is by getting a provincial nomination.

Nine provinces of Canada and two territories offer what is called ‘enhanced’ Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) streams. This is connected to the Express Entry System.

A candidate can get up to 600 CRS points if they manage to get a provincial nomination. This will guarantee an ITA for permanent residence in Canada.

From the beginning of this year, many of Express Entry associated provincial nomination streams have allotted invitations in – Saskatchewan, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Prince Edward Island.

When will the Next Express Entry Draw Take Place?

The Government doesn’t disclose about the Express Entry draws publicly. Usually, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) often hold Express Entry draws every two weeks typically on Wednesdays. However, this is not a fixed schedule that they follow the dates and frequency of draws many changes.

The Canadian Express Entry system provides a wonderful opportunity for the skilled workers of other countries to migrate to Canada. Not only is the process simple, but it is fast too. Those looking forward to migrating can check their eligibility by filling an assessment form. The form is available online on the official website of the Express Entry system.

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Amit Kumar

FreeEducator.com blog is managed by Amit Kumar. He and his team come from the Oxford, Stanford and Harvard. At FreeEducator, we strive to create the best admission platform so that international students can go to the best universities - regardless of financial circumstances. By applying with us, international students get unlimited support and unbiased advice to secure the best college offers overseas.