Canada Permanent Residency: Record number invites for the latest express entry draw

Canada Permanent Residency: Record number invites for the latest express entry draw

Canada is the number one destination for overseas students and professionals looking for Permanent Residency. Often called the ‘Paradise for Immigrants’, this beautiful country has plenty to offer: from its multicultural cities with excellent Universities to its high economic growth and rewarding career opportunities.

This year, in its latest Express Entry draw, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has just issued 2,750 invitations to apply (ITA). Candidates who plan to apply for Canadian PR will have to first receive an ITA from them. This is the highest-ever number, with a sharp increase of over 500 invites since the last draw.

The Express Entry is one of Canada’s main immigration pathways for skilled newcomers who are expected to contribute to the booming economy of the country. Since IRCC opened the facility after the Covid restrictions were lifted, this was the 5th all-program Express Entry draw that has been held.

For this draw, there was no program specified. This means that candidates from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) were all eligible to be invited.

How is the ITA determined?

The ITA is determined based on your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Those with the highest CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) scorers are the most preferred when it comes to ITA, and will head the list of Express Entry invites.

All about the 5th Express Entry draw:

Year on year, Canada is known to increase its annual immigrant intake and welcome more skilled people into the country. This year, the 5^th Express Entry draw had the largest increase in ITAs to date, up by 500, since all-program draws resumed on July 6. Till now, the numbers were increasing only by 250 with each draw.

And there are more changes to come!

The IRCC has indicated that there will be massive changes to the Express Entry draw in 2023. They are seeking to issue ITAs that target individuals with specific work experience, education, or language ability. These will be groups that will be well-positioned to support Canada’s economy and growing, dynamic labor force.

This could mean that in the future, CRS scores could become less vital. As Immigration Minister Sean Fraser had explained in June this year, “If we can project skills that are needed over the next 20 to 30 years, we can bring people who can hit the ground running and make a major economic impact.”

Due to the pandemic, all-program Express Entry draws had been paused for over 18 months since December 2020. At this time, only candidates eligible for permanent residence under the CEC or the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) were invited to apply. Subsequently, CEC draws were also paused in September 2021.

Now that Covid restrictions have eased worldwide, all-program Express Entry draws are again coming into prominence.