Canada invited 924 candidates to apply for Canadian immigration in the latest Express Entry invitation round.
This iteration of the invitation draws, conducted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on March 16, invited only Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates to apply for permanent residency.
Candidates who were invited in this round needed to have a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 754 points.
However, given that PNP candidates are awarded an additional 600 points when they are nominated, the base cutoff score without the provincial nomination was only 154 points.
Express Entry candidates who were invited in this invitation round now have 60 days to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
Despite holding regular PNP draws, Canada has not held an Express Entry draw for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) since December 2020.
Moreover, the last Canadian Experience Class (CEC) invitation round was held in September 2021.
Addressing the pending state of these draws, Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said candidates belonging to the FSWP and CEC programs would have invitation rounds in the near term.
However, no date for these draws has been announced so far by IRCC.
Express Entry is Canada’s application management system for three immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates in the Express Entry pool are already qualified for one of these three programs, and are eligible for Express Entry invitation rounds.
Express Entry uses a points-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to rank the profiles of applicants.
Applicants with the highest CRS scores on their profiles are issued invitations to apply (ITAs) for Canadian immigration with PR by the Canadian government.
Once the immigration application is reviewed by an IRCC officer, a decision is made on the application.
If approved, the applicant is issued a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) by IRCC, which guarantees Canadian permanent residency for the applicant.
