New Express Entry Draw Issues 1,002 Invitations to PNP Candidates

Canada was forced to slow down immigration in 2020 because of the pandemic and the travel restrictions in place. In order to make up for the loss, the country has set even higher immigration targets this year and is well on its way to achieving them.

Details of the draw

The latest Express Entry targeted Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates who are eligible to apply for permanent residence. A total of 1,002 eligible candidates received invitations. In this draw, Canada specifically targeted candidates who had already managed to get provincial nominations. This means that the selected candidates had 600 extra points added to their CRS total.

Since all the eligible candidates had boosted scores, the minimum required score was slightly higher than usual at 742. The last PNP-only draw saw Canada inviting 940 PNP candidates, and the minimum required score was 711 points. It is fair to say that Canada is now being consistent in its approach to different groups of candidates.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had to provide a cutoff time as per the tie-break rule even if there was no real tie in the draw. Candidates were invited in this draw only if they had completed their Express Entry profile registration before February 18, 2021, 04:04:56 UTC.

IRCC has been prioritizing Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and PNP specific draws recently because the candidates are more likely to be in the country.  The travel restrictions are slowly being relaxed but it will be a while till normality is restored.