“Canada holds its first Express Entry draw for the year 2022.”
Only PNP candidates were asked to apply for permanent residence in the first Express Entry draw of the year.
Canada is encouraging 392 Express Entry hopefuls to apply for permanent residency in the new year.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited only Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates to the January 5 draw. The cut-off score for the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) was 808. When PNP candidates receive their nomination, 600 points are automatically added to their score, which is why the score appears to be high when compared to prior invitation rounds.
PNP drawings have only been held by IRCC since September. According to an internal briefing note, IRCC has been focused on PNP candidates due to a backlog of applications being processed by immigration officers. Before welcoming candidates from other programs, the immigration agency hopes to cut the Express Entry backlog in half.
New year, new Express Entry
The Canadian government has hinted those modifications to Express Entry will be made this year. The Liberal administration proposed in the 2021 federal budget to allow the immigration minister more latitude in inviting Express Entry candidates who fit Canada’s labor market demands. Later that year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a mandate letter to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, requesting that Express Entry be used to increase permanent residency paths for international students and temporary foreign workers. No other information has been made public at this time.
Also, when the new Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) system replaces the present National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill levels, Express Entry-eligible occupations may alter. For the time being, Express Entry only takes into account job experience in NOC 0, A, and B occupations. When TEER goes into effect in late 2022, this classification will be altered.
In 2021, Canada held solely program-specific Express Entry draws for PNP and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants. No candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) were asked to apply for the first time in the history of Express Entry. FSWP candidates were the primary source of Express Entry immigrants prior to the pandemic. In comparison to PNP or CEC candidates, FSWP candidates are more likely to apply from outside the nation. Due to travel constraints, IRCC concentrated more on accepting candidates who were already in Canada last year. Candidates for the CEC are almost certainly already in Canada, as they must have at least one year of work experience in the country. Provinces have already submitted PNP individuals for immigration, indicating that they have proved their ability to support regional labor markets.
What is Express Entry?
The Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program all use Express Entry as their application management system. In the Express Entry pool, PNP candidates have already qualified for one of these programs.
Express Entry ranks candidates’ profiles using a points-based mechanism known as the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Candidates with the highest scores receive an Invitation to Seek (ITA), which they can use to apply for permanent residency.
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