4,500 Express Entry candidates were invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada in the latest Express Entry invitation round.
The draw, held on July 22, 2021, by Canada’s immigration department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), saw 4,500 Express Entry candidates under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) issued invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent Canadian immigration.
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirement for this invitation round was 357 points – the second-lowest ever in the history of Canada’s invitation draws.
In the previous CEC-only invitation round, 4,500 applicants were invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada, but with a higher CRS cutoff score of 369 points.
The invitation round with the lowest CRS cutoff score for CEC-only draws was held on February 13, 2021, when 27,332 applicants were issued ITAs for Canadian immigration with a score requirement of at least 75 points.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, IRCC has invited Canadian immigration applicants in periodic Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) invitation draws.
This has allowed Canada to invite applicants who are already most likely in Canada, resulting in lesser chances of disruptions related to public health measures, such as travel restrictions.
The score requirements of PNP and CEC draws vary, as PNP candidates are granted an additional 600 points on their profiles if they obtain a nomination from a Canadian province. This makes the CRS cutoff scores for PNP-only draws much higher than their CEC-only counterparts.
Canada’s drive to invite candidates to apply for permanent residency in the country follows the new Immigration Levels Plan, which outlined Canada’s ambition to welcome 1.2 million new permanent residents to the country by 2023.
As part of the Immigration Levels Plan, Canada has pledged to welcome more than 400,000 new immigrants in 2021. The periodic invitation draws held by IRCC has set Canada well on its way to meeting its immigration targets for this year.
In 2021, Canada has already invited almost twice the number of applicants compared to this time last year to apply for Canadian immigration with permanent residency in the country.
COVID-19 related travel measures are already being eased in Canada, with the country announcing recently that borders will be reopened for fully vaccinated tourists.
Tourists from the neighboring United States, who have been fully vaccinated, will be allowed to enter Canada from mid-August, while fully vaccinated tourists from the rest of the world will be able to travel to Canada from early September.
Express Entry is Canada’s points-based application management system for three Federal High Skilled Programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
Applicants who submit their profiles in the Express Entry pool are given points based on factors such as age, education, and language skills, with the highest-scoring candidates being invited by Canada to apply for Canadian immigration.
