Canada’s recent Express Entry draw recorded the lowest CRS this year

2020 has not been the easiest year for the Canadian immigration system because of the prevailing pandemic. The country is trying to reduce damage by holding Express Entry draws even amidst the lockdowns so that there can be an inflow of foreign skilled laborers. Canada has distributed a sum total of 30,400 ITAs among Express Entry candidates until now in this year.

What happened at the draw?

The draw on 16th April saw the issuance of invitations for 3,782 immigration candidates along with their families. The recipients will now be able to apply for Canadian permanent residence. The Invitations to Apply (ITAs) were given to candidates belonging to the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score recorded on the day was as low as 455. This means that the person with the lowest score among those who got the invitations had a score of 455.

The Express Entry draw held on 15th April had led to the distribution of 118 ITAs among Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. The total number of ITAs distributed over the two days was 3,900.

This draw was the fourth one in the history of the Express Entry system to target CEC candidates exclusively. It is likely that the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) wanted to shift their attention to CEC candidates since they were the ones who would already be in Canada at the time of the draw. The current travel restrictions would make it difficult for people living abroad to take advantage of the ITA.

Considering that Canada issued 85,300 ITAs via the Express Entry system in 2019, it is impressive that the country has already issued 30,400 ITAs so far this year. The 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan states that the Government of Canada is aiming to admit 341,000 immigrants in 2020 which could be the reason behind the figures.