CANADA WELCOMES 176 MORE CANDIDATES THAN THE PREVIOUS PNP-ONLY DRAW. ON MAY 12, CANADA INVITED 557 EXPRESS ENTRY APPLICANTS TO APPLY FOR CANADIAN PERMANENT RESIDENCY.

In order to obtain an Invitation to Apply, Express Entry applicants needed to have a score of at least 752. (ITA). They have had to have recently been nominated by a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Once someone receives a provincial nomination through an Express Entry-linked PNP, 600 points are automatically added to their score. This is why the minimum score was so high. The lowest-scoring nominee would have earned a 152 without the nomination.

As a procedural necessity, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes a cut-off time for the tie-break rule, regardless of whether there was an apparent tie. Applicants with the minimum score were only invited to the latest draw if they submitted their Express Entry profile before April 29, 2021 at 10:18:12 UTC.

Express Entry in 2021

Canada has only invited Express Entry applicants via the PNP and the Canadian Experience Class since the beginning of the year (CEC). This is partially due to COVID-related travel prohibitions, which restrict approved permanent residents from entering Canada from overseas.

Through Express Entry-managed programs, Canada is expected to accept 108,500 new immigrants in 2021 alone. IRCC has so far invited 62,328 Express Entry applicants to register for permanent residency.

The CRS score requirements for PNP-only and CEC-only draws are vastly different. This is due to the 600-point award added to PNP candidates’ scores. Since CEC candidates are admitted in large numbers and are not vying for invites from other programs, IRCC has far more flexibility to invite lower-scoring candidates.