Canada invited 2,250 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residency in its latest invitation round on August 17.
This round of the draw, conducted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), had a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cutoff score of 525 points.
There was no specified program for this invitation round, meaning candidates from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) were eligible to be invited.
Since all-program draws were resumed in July, IRCC has invited 7,500 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residency in Canada.
The number of candidates issued invitations to apply (ITAs) increased by 250 in each draw, while the CRS cutoff score dropped by eight or nine points every time.
The cutoff score of 525 points in this invitation round was eight points lower than the 533 points needed on the draw held on August 3.
This round’s cutoff score was also 32 points lower than the 557 points needed for an ITA on the all-program draw on July 6.
Canada is aiming to welcome 55,900 new permanent residents through the Express Entry pathway in 2022, and 111,500 newcomers by the end of 2024.
IRCC paused all-program draws after an overwhelming number of permanent residency applications were submitted during the pandemic.
Moreover, border closures and travel restrictions made things worse for both IRCC and Canadian permanent residency applicants.
However, all-program draws have since resumed as Canada has opened its borders to move out of the pandemic. It was Canada’s fourth all-program Express Entry draw since its resumption on July 6.
Express Entry is one of the leading pathways to permanent residency in Canada for skilled migrants.
It targets skilled workers who are best suited to help Canada’s workforce by responding to the labour market needs.
Express Entry consists of three Canadian immigration programs: the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which is a points-based system, ranks applicant profiles based on factors such as age, education, work experience and language proficiency. The highest-scoring candidates are then invited to apply for Canadian PR.
