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Canada Conducts Second-Largest Express Entry Draw of All Time, Inviting 4,200 Candidates

Canada Conducts Second-Largest Express Entry Draw of All Time, Inviting 4,200 Candidates

Last Updated on September 2, 2020

Canada has conducted the second-largest Express Entry draw of all time, issuing Invitations to Apply to 4,200 candidates.

The September 2 draw – only the third all-program draw to take place since March – required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 475 points, one point lower than the previous all-program draw.

The largest Express Entry draw of all time took place on February 19, 2020, when 4,500 ITAs were issued with a minimum CRS score of 470 points.

Conducting such a large draw represents a statement of intent by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), that its policy of increasing immigration levels will continue into 2021, despite the COVID-19 crisis.

ITAs Issued In Last 10 Express Entry Draws

Since coronavirus restrictions were imposed in March, all but four Express Entry draws have focused on either Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) or Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates.

Candidates in the two categories are more likely to already be in Canada than those coming through other Express Entry-linked programs, meaning they are less likely be affected by pandemic-related travel restrictions.

Since March 18, Canada has conducted 20 program-specific draws, 10 targeting PNP candidates and 10 targeting CEC candidates. Those draws have seen 39,000 ITAs issued, including 4,785 to PNP candidates and 34,215 to CEC candidates.

Canada has now issued 69,950 ITAs so far in 2020, after issuing a total of 85,300 in 2019. IRCC broke the record for annual Express Entry ITAs in 2018 with 89,800.

ITAs Issued by This Stage of Each Year

Canada’s high-skilled immigration admission target for 2020 is 85,800, up from 81,400 in 2019. However, it is likely that permanent resident admissions will be affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

The latest draw saw the tie-breaking rule implemented on August 16, 2020 at 1.22am UTC, which is August 15, 2020 at 9.22pm EST. If more than one candidate had the minimum CRS score, only those who submitted their Express Entry profiles before this date and time received invitations.

This was the 29th round of invitations under Express Entry in 2020 and 162nd overall.

Minimum CRS Scores For 2020 All-Program Draws

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is an immigration system implemented by Canadian immigration authorities (IRCC) on January 1, 2015 which manages skilled worker applications under Federal Economic programs. This includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program the Canada Experience Class and parts of the Provincial Nomination Programs.

Stakeholders expect to see near 30 draws and more than 80,000 invitations issued in 2020, with a majority of draws featuring CRS scores around 470 to enable Canadian immigration authorities to meet targeted annual immigration levels for 2020.

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What Can Employers Do to Recruit Foreign Workers?

Employers are encouraged to consider securing an LMIA or nomination under provincial nomination programs (PNPs) to ensure long term retention of employees.

At immigration.ca we provide Canadian employers with unparalleled immigration legal services and recruitment of foreign nationals through our in-house Global Recruiters of Montreal, GRNMontreal.com and skilledworker.com. We bring qualified candidates to Canada in the shortest time possible. Employers in a wide range of industries can directly benefit from our unique position as one of Canada’s leading immigration firms in the industry, with a strong on-line presence, to meet both their recruitment and immigration requirements.

Interested employers wishing to seek our assistance are invited to contact us here for further information.

What Should Candidates Do Next?

It is expected that the majority of applicants to be issued ITAs in 2020 will require a CRS score around 470 points, enabling a significant number of applicants to receive permanent admission to Canada without a job offer or nomination under a provincial immigration program. However, securing an approved offer of employment is highly recommended. Watch our Facebook livestream video on how to find jobs in Canada from overseas.

We offer all our individual clients with excellent employment services as well as a 60-minute Live, Face-to-Face LinkedIn tutorial on how to find jobs in all areas of Canada.

Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free online evaluation. We will provide you with your evaluation results within 1-2 business days.

Resources:

  • Immigration.ca News Articles – A daily news source outlining the latest developments in immigration, employment and the economy with commentaries by Attorney Colin Singer.
  • At skilledworker.com we are dedicated to developing long-term strategic alliances with client companies and candidates alike. We strictly adhere to our guiding principles of honesty, integrity and confidentiality.

Colin R. Singer is immigration counsel for www.immigration.ca and Managing Partner of Global Recruiters of Montreal, GRNMontreal.com, as well as skilledworker.com. He is one of Canada’s foremost senior corporate immigration attorneys. Colin is internationally recognized as an experienced and recommended authority on Canadian immigration and foreign recruitment. In addition to being licensed human resources professional, he is a licensed Canadian lawyer in good standing with the Quebec Law Society for more than 25 years and is authorized by the Canadian government in all immigration matters.