Canada shifts its focus to CEC candidates for PR in Canada

Express Entry candidates with Canadian work experience were invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada

On August 19, Canada invited 3,000 Express Entry applicants to apply for permanent residency. Candidates that were invited had to be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and have a score of at least 403. This is one point lower than the previous CEC draw threshold.

Candidates with the lowest score were only considered if their profiles were submitted by August 1, 2021, as per the tie-break criteria. This information is published by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as an administrative obligation, and it does not imply that there was any real connection.

Why is this a CEC-only draw?

So far, draws for only two categories of applicants from the Express Entry pool have been released by the IRCC and those are CEC and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Since the beginning of the year, there have been 16 draws of each type. The rationale for only having these two sorts of draws is due to a pandemic. Express Entry applicants who are qualified for the CEC or PNP are quite likely to already be in Canada. Canadian work experience is one of the immigration program’s primary qualifying criteria as the great majority of CEC candidates are already in Canada. At any given moment, an estimated 90% of CEC applicants in the Express Entry pool are in Canada. Canada prioritizes domestic candidates as they are less likely to encounter coronavirus-related issues. Holders of a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) could not enter Canada and finalize their landing until June 21.

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The increasing trend of Express Entry invites on yearly basis:

In comparison to the corresponding period for last year, the number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) has nearly doubled. Express Entry applicants have received 105,779 invites thus far. IRCC expects to admit 108,500 Express Entry candidates in 2021.

Because of the nature of CEC and PNP-only draws, the minimum score criteria have highly fluctuated as CEC drawings are focused on only one set of candidates and for them, the cut-offs are generally lower. They are not competing with others, for example, in the Federal Skilled Worker Program. As more CEC applicants are chosen from the top, the minimum score cut-off falls. PNP candidates receive an automatic 600 points for obtaining a provincial nomination.

What exactly is Express Entry?

Express Entry is a points-based system for managing immigration applications for the three Federal High Skilled programs: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and Federal Skilled Trades Program. Generally, Express Entry is used by certain PNPs to attract applicants to submit for a provincial nomination and if you are qualified under the Express Entry program, a score will be assigned to you on the basis of the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS assigns points based on characteristics such as skilled job experience, education, age, official language abilities, and others.

The CRS is worth a total of 1,200 points. Except for PNP candidates, who get an automatic 600 CRS points added to their initial score due to their provincial candidacy, the great majority have fewer than 500 points.

During regular rounds of invitation, IRCC invites the highest scoring applicants to seek permanent residency. Candidates who have been invited to apply for Canadian immigration may do so.