Canada held its last Express Entry draw of 2020 on Wednesday December 23.
In what has been an unprecedented year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has now issued a total of 107,350 invitations to apply (ITA) for permanent residence to successful Express Entry candidates.
The December 23 draw saw a total of 5,000 candidates receive ITAs. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off score was 468, which is lower than the 469 requirement in the last Express Entry.
The high levels of invitations amid the global coronavirus pandemic is due to Canada’s goal to increase immigration significantly over the coming years.
To help strengthen its economy after COVID-19, Canada aims to welcome over 400,000 new permanent residents each year between 2021-2023. An average of 110,000 new immigrants per year will be targeted through Express Entry.
The Express Entry system is used by Canada to manage the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and the Canadian Experience Class.
Some Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams are also managed through Express Entry.
Candidates who are eligible for one of the three federal Express Entry programs can submit an Express Entry profile on IRCC’s website. Usually IRCC holds Express Entry draws to invite candidates with the highest CRS scores. Your CRS is based on your human capital criteria such as your age, education, language skills, and work experience.
Canada aimed to issue 91,800 Express Entry ITAs in 2020 but its plans changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 107,350 ITAs issued in 2020 are the most since IRCC launched Express Entry in 2015.
The next Express Entry draw is likely to happen in the first or second week of January 2021 after the end of the holiday season in Canada.