express-entry-draw-total-5000-invitations-issued

Express Entry Draw | Total 5000 Invitations Issued

Ninan Lawrence Published:
December 31, 2020

The Government of Canada has issued 5000 invitations for Express Entry candidates to apply for Canadian permanent residence in the recent draw that was held on December 23, 2020. This was the largest Express Entry draw held by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

A Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 468 was enough to ensure an Invitation to Apply (ITA). The 5000 invitations issued is the highest, till date for the year 2020 post the pandemic. The large number of invitations issued in this draw is a strong indicator that Canada remains committed in welcoming more applicants in 2021 and beyond. This latest Express Entry draw amid the COVID-19 pandemic marks a major milestone in Canadian immigration.

This year is the first since the launch of Express Entry in 2015 with more than 100,000 ITAs issued by the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. Express Entry is a system used by the federal government of Canada to manage Canadian permanent residence applications for Canada’s three main economic-class programs:

Canada continues to issue invitations for candidates in Express Entry. Since March, the majority of Express Entry draws have been limited to Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants or those with provincial nominations. However, in July, Express Entry resumed all-program draws.

The highest-ranked candidates in the pool are then invited to apply for permanent residence through regular Express Entry draws. Candidates who receive express entry scores below CRS cut-offs can apply for provincial nomination programs, which is a best option to increase their scores. The highest-ranked candidates in the Express Entry pool are issued ITAs in regular invitation rounds. (Check the below graph for ITAs issued in 2020).

This draw brings the total number of ITAs issued this year to 107,350, a new record for this date. The time between draws is an essential factor which can influence the CRS cut-off point. Larger intervals between draws mean more candidates have time to enter their profile in the Express Entry pool. (check the graph below for CRS cut off score and time between each draws)

The tie break rule is used for the classification of candidates with the same CRS score. The primary consideration for the selection of applicants for permanent residence is directly proportional to their CRS scores.

Tie-break rule applied in this draw saw the date and time used as of June 4, 2020 at 13:39:44 UTC. It means all candidates with a CRS score of 468 and above, and who submitted their profiles before the mentioned date & time received an ITA from the federal government of Canada.

Although a job offer is not required to qualify under the Express Entry System, the CRS awards additional points for candidates having a valid Canadian job offer. The large number of ITAs is in line with Canada’s commitment to welcome more than 400,000 new migrants by 2021, most of them using Express Entry.

The Government of Canada has a processing standard of six months for permanent residence applications filed through the Express Entry system. Check out Owlspriority Immigration’s Canada Settlement Resources to learn more about ways to finding a new job in Canada, making your initial days in Canada stress-free and confident, etc.