Canada invited 627 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence on July 7.

The invitation round was only for candidates who had a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). These candidates needed a score of at least 760.

The cutoff score is relatively high because PNP candidates automatically get 600 points added to their score. Without this award, the lowest-scoring candidate would have 160 points.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) also published a cutoff time for the tie-break rule. This is an administrative requirement, and it does not mean there was any actual tie. Candidates who had the minimum score were only invited if they submitted their Express Entry profile before  June 14, 2021 at 07:44:05 UTC.

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Higher numbers of PNP candidates in recent draws

Throughout the pandemic, IRCC has been holding only PNP- and Canadian Experience Class (CEC)-specific draws. This is because these candidates are more likely to already be living in Canada, and less likely to be disrupted by public health measures like travel restrictions.

In recent PNP-specific draws, IRCC has been inviting high numbers of candidates. For the first time ever, IRCC invited more than 1,000 PNP candidates on June 23. Before that, the immigration department invited 940 candidates.

These high draw sizes could be part of a strategy to meet Canada’s immigration targets for 2021. The federal government has committed to welcoming 401,000 new immigrants to Canada this year. About a quarter of these are allotted to come through the Express Entry system. So far this year, Canada has invited 89,342 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence.

Canada has invited almost twice as many Express Entry candidates as we saw at the same time last year. The large number comes from the historic February 13 draw where IRCC invited every CEC-eligible candidate in the pool, a total of 27,332 people. About 87 per cent of those invited that day applied for permanent residence before the 90-day deadline, according to an IRCC email.

PNP-only and CEC-only draws have very different score requirements. PNP draws have higher cutoffs because of the 600-point award, while CEC draws have lower cutoffs because candidates are not competing for invitations from other programs. Which means IRCC takes more off the top, allowing for CEC cutoff scores to dip into the lower levels.

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is a points-based application management system for the three Federal High Skilled programs, which include the: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and Federal Skilled Trades Program. Some PNPs also use Express Entry to invite candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

If you are eligible for an Express Entry-managed program, you will get a score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS awards points based on skilled work experience, education, age, official language skills, and other factors.

IRCC holds regular rounds of invitation, issuing Invitations to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence to the highest-scoring candidates.

After you submit, an IRCC immigration officer will make a decision on your application. If you are approved, the last step is to complete the landing process and officially immigrate to Canada.

Who was invited?

The following is a hypothetical example of someone who may have been invited in the new Express Entry draw.

Natasha is 39, holds a bachelor’s degree and has been working as a construction manager for six years. She has an advanced English language proficiency and has never worked or studied in Canada. Natasha entered the Express Entry pool with a CRS score of 386. She recently obtained a provincial nomination through Alberta’s Express Entry stream, which brought her score up to 986, high enough to obtain an ITA in the new Express Entry draw.