Since the pandemic, the standard pattern of Express Entry draws has changed. IRCC no longer holds draws in a predictable fashion. There hasn’t been any draw since October 26 & the immigration department hasn’t explained the reasons. Here are some reasons for entering the Express Entry pool despite the interim pause in draws.
Express Entry & Provincial Nominee Programs
Entering the Express Entry pool, if you are eligible to do so, is beneficial as it increases your chances of moving to Canada. While in the pool, a province might be interested in your profile & issue an invitation for a provincial nomination, which will primarily guarantee that you will obtain an ITA for PR.
A provincial nomination is one of the most valuable factors under Express Entry’s CRS because it results in an applicant obtaining an extra 600 points towards a CRS score.
The CRS marks applicants based on age, education, language proficiency, work experience, etc. The higher your CRS score, the more your chance is to obtain an ITA.
Almost every territory & province in Canada operates their PNPs & each Provincial Nominee Program has at least one immigration stream, which is aligned with Express Entry. For instance, OINP searches the Express Entry pool to seek applicants who might meet the criteria of one of Ontario’s Express Entry immigration streams.
In addition, the province issued around 1,052 notifications of interest to applicants who might qualify for the Human Capital Priorities Stream under Express Entry. Applicants obtained a nomination if they had a CRS score of 404 – 430 & relevant work experience in one of the 42 targeted healthcare professions.
Moreover, apart from entering the Express Entry pool despite the interim pause in draws, Ontario’s Human Capital Priorities Stream has issued notifications of interest to around 15,000 applicants as compared to over 4,000 last year. The majority of these notifications were issued to applicants in health/ tech professions.
This demonstrates that even though there has been a pause in Express Entry draws, by being in the Express Entry pool, you can still obtain a provincial nomination & be amongst the first ones invited to apply for permanent residence when the draws resume.
Invitation To Apply For Applicants With Low CRS Scores
Express Entry draws resume at any time & with almost any CRS score cut-off. Moreover, there have been times when IRCC has had draws with low CRS cut-offs.
Around half of all Express Entry applicants had a CRS score of 451-500, according to Canadian government data on applicants who obtained ITAs between January & September 2023.
However, in the past few months, there have been draws which have invited applicants with CRS scores in the 30s. These low CRS scores are related to category-based selection draws.
In addition, category-based Express Entry draws were introduced & invited applicants who have French language proficiency or relevant work experience in the following fields to apply for PR:
- Healthcare
- Trades
- Transport
- STEM Professions
- Agriculture/ Agri-Food
Because of the diversification of applicants in these categories, category-based selection caters to more applicants, thus enabling CRS scores to be lower than in program-specific & Express Entry draws.
Moreover, the immigration levels are increasing. In 2022, the nation broke the record for new applicants with 437,000 admissions. The target for PR admissions in 2023 is 465,000. According to the Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026, the main goal of the nation is to welcome over 500,000 immigrants every year.
Since the nation is seeking to welcome an increasing number of immigrants, applicants with low CRS scores have more opportunities to be invited to apply for permanent residency.
Canadian Government’s Job Bank ‘Plus Account’
Besides entering the Express Entry pool despite the interim pause in draws, another benefit of being in the Express Entry pool is that it allows you to create a ‘Plus Account’ in the government’s online Job Bank. As a result, this enables you to find suitable job opportunities, which might, in turn, increase your chances of obtaining a Canadian employment offer.
A Canadian employment offer can result in 50-200 extra CRS points, which will enhance/ increase your chances of obtaining an ITA. Moreover, if you get an ITA with an employment offer, you will be able to settle in Canada & into the Canadian labor market easily.