Canada surpasses 70,000 Express Entry invitations this year

The Canadian has invited 3,900 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence in a new draw held October 30.

Express Entry manages the pool of candidates for Canada’s three Federal High Skilled economic immigration programs — the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class.

Eligible candidates are ranked in the Express Entry pool based on a score awarded under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which provides points for factors such as age, education, skilled work experience and proficiency in English or French.

A Canadian job offer is not required in order to be eligible.

A set number of the highest-ranked candidates are issued an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence through regular draws from the Express Entry pool, which typically take place every two weeks.

Canada has higher admissions targets for the three Federal High Skilled economic immigration programs for 2019 and 2020, which means it could still surpass this record by the end of the year.

Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination receive an additional 600 CRS points and are effectively guaranteed an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

The last weeks have seen Express Entry-aligned provincial nominee programs in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and British Columbia issue more than 2,000 invitations to Express Entry candidates.

Saskatchewan held a record draw for nearly 1,000 Express Entry candidates through the Express Entry sub-category of its immigrant nominee program on October 18. It followed this with an invitation round on October 24 for another 550 Express Entry candidates.

On Monday, Nova Scotia issued invitations to 430 Express Entry candidates with work experience as registered nurses or registered psychiatric nurses through its Labour Market Priorities Stream. Nova Scotia said there was no minimum CRS requirement for these candidates.

Alberta selected Express Entry candidates with CRS scores as low as 350 in a selection round held October 9 through the Alberta Express Entry Stream. Earlier selection rounds through this stream have seen Express Entry candidates with scores as low as 300 invited to apply for a provincial nomination from Alberta.

Meanwhile, Canada’s provincial nominee programs have been firing on all cylinders, especially Saskatchewan. These draws are opening new doors to Express Entry candidates with lower scores and that’s encouraging news.”