392 PNP candidates secure ITAs via Express Entry

Canada has been consistent in organizing Express Entry draws even amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The government has issued 46,392 invitations to Express Entry candidates so far in 2020.

On June 24, Canada organized another round of distributing Express Entry invitations and invited candidates who had managed to receive provincial nominations.

Details:

Candidates with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores equal to or higher than 696 received invitations from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). A total of 392 invitations were issued during the round. All the selected candidates had received provincial nominations via draws beforehand, which meant that their overall score was boosted by an additional 600 points. Factoring out the provincial nomination, the minimum CRS score would have been just 96.

The CRS evaluates candidates on the basis of multiple human capital factors like work experience, age, education, and language proficiency. The idea is to filter out Express Entry candidates who would have the highest likelihood of fitting into the Canadian labor market effortlessly.

This draw used a tie-break rule, which meant that candidates who had a minimum CRS score of 696 and had submitted their profile prior to April 23, 2020, at 10:39:30 UTC, qualified for an ITA in this round.

Current situation:

The Canadian government enforced special travel restrictions on March 18, but the country has been organizing regular Express Entry draws with no interruption. The draws focus on Canadian Experience Class candidates and provincial nominees. The government has hosted 15 such draws through these programs till now.

The Express Entry-linked provincial nominee streams in Canada have been very active in the last few weeks. Over a thousand Express Entry candidates were contacted by the provinces allowing them to apply for a provincial nomination within a week.