Express Entry
Canada extends invitation to Express Entry trades candidates with CRS score as low as 357
In the latest Express Entry draw, IRCC limited the draw to invite-only candidates with an active profile in the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) to apply for Canada permanent residence. Candidates in the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) programs were not considered in this draw.
The October 16 draw saw 500 ITAs issued to 500 Federal Skilled Trades Class candidates with Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) as low as 357, which is lower than the usual CRS requirement set by the Canadian government. The majority of Express Entry draws involve candidates from all the three classes i.e Federal Skilled Worker Class, Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Class. However, today’s draw was one of the rare exceptions.
This program-specific draw was the second draw in this year to target candidates in the Federal Skilled Trades Program. To be eligible to apply for the FST program, a candidate must have a certificate of qualification that proves they are qualified to work in an eligible skilled trade in Canada OR have an eligible offer of employment in Canada, among other criteria. Additionally, FST candidates must show proficiency in English or French equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 or above.
The Federal Skilled Trades Program is an economic-class immigration program that comes under the Express Entry system. The eligible candidates are then given a score under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) that is based on factors like age, qualification, skilled work experience and proficiency in English or French.
The October 16 draw saw a tie-break which was applied by IRCC and the time-stamped used was March 4, 2019, at 20:36:42 UTC, which means all the candidates with a CRS score of and above 357, and who had submitted their profile in the Express Entry pool before the above-mentioned date and time, received invitations in this draw. Candidates, who receive an additional 600 CRS points have higher chances of getting an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
