Canada’s first Express Entry draw of 2021 issues 3,400 new ITAs for permanent residency

Canada has issued 3,400 Invitations to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency to its Express Entry candidates. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score recorded on the January 08 draw was 473 – which is a 4 point increase over the previous draw held on December 19, 2019.

How does the Express Entry system work?
Since its introduction in the year 2015 – the Express Entry system has become Canada’s primary source for immigrating foreign skilled workers. At present, the Express Entry system manages three distinctive economic class immigration streams – Federal Skilled Trades Class, Federal Skilled Worker Class, and Canadian Experience Class. Candidates, who qualify through the prerequisites in any of these 3 streams, are placed in the Express Entry pool, along with other qualified immigrating candidates.

Once positioned in the Express Entry pool, each candidate is assigned a certain CRS score. The final score majorly depends on factors such as age, education qualifications, work experience, language proficiency, spousal sponsorship, and adaptability. In the case of the January 08 draw – candidates with a CRS score of 473 or above received an Invitation to Apply for permanent residency.

NOTE – You do NOT require a job offer, to apply through the Express Entry system.

What are Canada’s admission targets through the Express Entry?
Canada has planned higher admission targets through its three Express Entry streams, for the year 2020 and 2021. The target is for new permanent resident admissions are stated to rise 85,800 in 2020 and 88,800 in 2021. Furthermore, Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP), which is also managed by the Express Entry, is all set to increase its ITA rates to 67,800 in 2020 and 71,300 in 2021. These streams have a lower CRS score as compared to the ones in the Express Entry. Where, Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination can earn them up to 600 points in the CRS score.

The IRCC regulates draws at a pace of 2-week interval. More time gap between draws witness in a higher CRS score, whereas less time interval results a comparatively lower cut-off score. The 4 point increase in the latest draw could be justified by the fact that a total of 20 day between the December 19 and January 08 draws. A higher percentage of ITAs are needed to be issued, if Canada plans on achieving its intended admission targets.

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