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The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the first all-program Express Entry draw after Canada introduced travel restrictions to the country in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, on July 8. The draw invited 3900 candidates with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 478 to apply for permanent residence in Canada.
Ever since Canada introduced travel restrictions and border closures in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, the Express Entry draws had been inviting only Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates as well as Provincial Nominee Program(PNP) candidates. The last all-program Express Entry draw was held on March 4 and for almost four months, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) candidates and Federal Skilled Trades Program(FSTP) had not received any Invitations to Apply(ITAs) for Canada PR.
One of the reasons why Canada restricted the PR invitations to CEC candidates was because they would most probably in Canada at the time of receiving invitations. Invitations continued to be issued for PNP candidates for the reason that the provinces need to meet their labour market needs. Even when Canada was excluding FSWP and FSTP candidates in the Express Entry draws, some of the CEC and PNP candidates who received ITAs during this period were from outside Canada.
Compared to the previous all-program draw held on March 4, the CRS score requirement was seven points higher in the latest draw at 478, though the draw size was same in both. With the latest draw, the total number of Express Entry ITAs issued by IRCC this year is now 53,800.
A tie-break rule was applied in the July 8 draw, the time-stamp given being February 11, at 13:08:31 UTC. It means not all candidates who had a minimum CRS score of 478 received invitations in the draw, but only those who had submitted their profiles before the said date and time.
Canada Express Entry system
The Express Entry system was introduced by Canada in 2015 with an aim to manage applications for permanent residence under three major federal economic immigration programs of Canada, which are Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and Canadian Experience Class. Each candidate who create an Express Entry profile, expressing their interest to be invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada, are assessed on the basis of various eligibility factors such as age, education, skilled work experience, proficiency in English or French. Based on this assessment, each candidate is awarded a CRS score out of 1200. IRCC invites candidates with the highest CRS scores to apply for permanent residence in the draws that are conducted regularly. It usually takes at least six months to complete the processing of permanent residence applications filed through the Express Entry system.
Express Entry draws held so far in 2020
| Draw Number | Date | Number of ITAs issued | Minimum CRS score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 155 | July 8 | 3900 | 478 |
| 154 | June 25 | 3508 | 431(CEC-specific draw) |
| 153 | June 24 | 392 | 696(PNP-specific draw) |
| 152 | June 11 | 3551 | 437(CEC-specific draw) |
| 151 | June 10 | 341 | 743(PNP-specific draw) |
| 150 | May 28 | 3515 | 440(CEC-specific draw) |
| 149 | May 27 | 385 | 757(PNP-specific draw) |
| 148 | May 15 | 3371 | 447(CEC-specific draw) |
| 147 | May 13 | 529 | 718(PNP-specific draw) |
| 146 | May 1 | 3311 | 452(CEC-specific draw) |
| 145 | April 29 | 589 | 692(PNP-specific draw) |
| 144 | April 16 | 3782 | 455 (CEC-specific draw) |
| 143 | April 15 | 118 | 808(PNP-specific draw) |
| 142 | April 9 | 3,294 | 464(CEC-specific draw) |
| 141 | April 9 | 606 | 698(PNP-specific draw) |
| 140 | March 23 | 3232 | 467 (CEC-specific draw) |
| 139 | March 18 | 668 | 720(PNP-specific draw) |
| 138 | March 4 | 3900 | 471 |
| 137 | February 19 | 4500 | 470 |
| 136 | February 5 | 3500 | 472 |
| 135 | January 22 | 3400 | 471 |
| 134 | January 8 | 3400 | 473 |
Canada Express Entry offers simple and fast-track pathway for international skilled workers to migrate to the country. Check your eligibility for Express Entry migration by our free online assessment form.
