Canada Invited 787 PNP Candidates through Express Entry

On April 13, Canada invited 787 PNP candidates with Express Entry profiles to apply for permanent residence. All the invited candidates had a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) with a minimum CRS score of at least 782. The CRS score was higher as the PNP candidates get an additional 600 points after receiving a provincial nomination. Without 600 points, the lowest base score was 182 points. In this previous draw, IRCC invited 919 candidates.

A Gradual Start to the Year 2022

In the first quarter, Canada welcomed 6470 express entry candidates. It’s the slowest first quarter in the history of Express Entry. The major drop is because IRCC is only inviting PNP candidates while the draws for CEC and FSWP are paused since December 2020.

Before the pandemic hit the world, draws were not program-specific, the candidates from any express entry managed to apply through any program. However, COVID-19 travel restrictions made the country focus on fulfilling the record-breaking immigration targets by changing the high numbers of temporary residents to permanent residents. This led to a huge backlog of express entry and FSWP applications that also increased the processing times from the standard of six months.

Resources suggest that IRCC decides to pause the express entry for non-PNP programs in order to cut down the backlog and get back to the standard of 6-months as soon as possible.

2022 Overview of Express Entry

According to the latest update, Canada is going to conduct PNP draws for a while. On the other hand, they are also working towards improving the immigration system. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser did not mention when they will resume draws for the express entry candidates eligible for other programs, like CEC, FSWP, and FSTP. However, it is believed that the pause is temporary.

In a meeting with the Canadian Bar Association, Sean Fraser, Immigration Minister of Canada stated that IRCC is exploring the possibility of holding occupation-holding express entry draws to take care labour needs. The immigration minister also announced a new level plan to pace up the process and invite more immigrants to Canada.