Mid-year report: Express Entry system

It will not be a stretch to say that nobody anticipated the first six months of 2020 to turn out this way.

The pandemic definitely had a significant impact on the Express Entry system as well. The coronavirus pandemic resulted in the biggest and smallest draws ever to be held.

The country witnessed the second largest start to the year with reference to the number of ITAs issued even though coronavirus gripped the world in the first quarter. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) hosted the largest draw in the history of Express Entry on February 19. The draw invited 4,900 candidates at once.

Negative effect of the pandemic:

Immigration minister, Marco Mendicino, made an announcement on March 12, stating that Canada is planning to welcome more than 1 million immigrants by 2022. A large majority of the candidates would qualify for immigration via the Express Entry system. The country had to adapt, however, after they imposed temporary travel restrictions on March 18. Many Canadian immigrants began to understand that the future was uncertain since the federal government stopped all foreign travel.

How has Canada dealt?

Canada, however, has continued to organize Express Entry draws. Minister Mendicino has reiterated time and again that immigration would prove to be a key factor in the economic recovery of Canada. However, the Express Entry draws have seen many changes. Two draws have been held within days or hours of each other forming a new pattern. All-program draws, involving candidates from the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), Foreign Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC), did not take place every fortnight.

Canada has organized 21 draws till now, taking the June 25 Express Entry draw into account. In 2019, the country had held 12 draws in the same amount of time. There have been 49,900 ITAs issued in the first half of 2020.