Canada Issues New PNP-Specific Express Entry Draw

Canada is planning to invite more skilled workers in 2021 so as to make up for the immigration losses suffered last year. There have been multiple successful Express Entry draws since the beginning of the year. 

On February 10, Canada held a new Express Entry draw to invite 654 candidates who will now have the chance to apply for permanent residence. Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada or IRCC wanted candidates to have a score of 720 at the very least for this round of invitations. 

Requirements

Candidates with a nomination from any of the Provincial Nominee Programs were invited in the February 10 draw. As a result, the required CRS score was on the higher side. Candidates have an extra 600 points added to their CRS score when they receive a provincial nomination.

Their final scores are always above 600 and so this draw set the minimum score requirement at 720. The candidates fulfilling the minimum score requirement were chosen during this draw only if they had registered their Express Entry profile prior to August 14, 2020, 6:51:00 UTC.

How does the Express Entry system work?

Canada Express Entry system relies on a system to score the candidates based on several factors like their age, education, work experience and language proficiency. While a job offer is not mandatory for Express Entry candidates, it does lead to some extra points.

The candidates with the highest scores usually get an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence. After the submission of the application, candidates will have to wait for IRCC to make its final decision. 

2020 turned out to be a great year for Express Entry in spite of the pandemic. Canada is looking to make 2021 even more successful.