The Immigration and Refugees and Protection Act does not stipulate how often Express Entry draws must take place.
In
recent weeks, Express Entry draws have changed. They usually take place every
two weeks on Wednesdays. IRCC paused its applications process for six weeks
starting November 23, then reopened it on January 11 after inviting 5,500
candidates to apply. A week later, another draw of the same size was held.
The
change in routine has not been confirmed. According to an IRCC spokesperson,
the pause was caused by a system glitch caused by the implementation of NOC
2021. As a result of technical issues with the implementation of the new
classification system on November 16, 2022, Express Entry invitation rounds on
November 23, 2022, were adversely affected. A round of Express Entry
invitations was successfully implemented on January 11, 2023, despite these
technical issues, which were a great inconvenience to IRCC clients."
IRCC
is beginning a series of regularly scheduled Express Entry invitation to apply
(ITA) rounds. However, the unexpected pause and following draw in quick
succession are so out of character for IRCC that there has been speculation on
how IRCC decides on the frequency of draws and the number of candidates.
Candidates
in the Express Entry application management system are targeted by three
programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience
Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). Economic immigrants
who qualify for these programs are highly skilled.
Candidate
profiles are uploaded to the IRCC website and given a score under the
Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Candidates with the highest CRS scores will
be invited to apply for permanent residency.
Express
Entry trends
IRCC
created Express Entry in 2015 to target potential permanent residents with
in-demand skills who could quickly integrate into the economy and strengthen
Canada's workforce. It typically sees 23-30 draws per year.
Most
draws during 2015-2019 were all-program drawings, with one or two being
specifically for the FSTP. Initially, these typically only invited fewer than
2,000 candidates; however, this began to change in 2017 when more than 3,000
candidates were typically selected at each draw. This increase was due to
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) transitioning from its
paper-based FSWP, CEC, and FSTP applications to an online Express Entry system.
As part of navigating this transition, IRCC complemented its existing inventory
of paper-based applications by making gradual ITAs until January 2017.
The
COVID-19 pandemic put Canada's immigration system into chaos in 2020, with
travel limitations, border closures, and workers unable to stay in their places
of employment leading to a pile-up of applications. Consequently, IRCC halted
draws for the FSWP and FSTP in December 2020, before suspending draws for the
CEC at the same time in September 2021. However, Express Entry hopefuls were
still able to receive invites via Provincial Nominee Programs.
As
the number of draws declined, those that were still running continued to occur
regularly.
All
Express Entry draws resumed in July last year, draw sizes increased every
two weeks, and CRS scores dropped to allow more candidates to receive ITAs.
Express Entry draw sizes reached 4,570 by November 23, the largest since
December 2020.
Rules
that govern Express Entry
Frequency
There
is no set law that dictates how often Express Entry draws need to be held under
the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). IRCC and the immigration
minister determine the frequency of Express Entry draws at their discretion.
Through ministerial instructions, the immigration minister determines the
number of candidates invited, and the minimum CRS score required.
To
strengthen the labour force, the minister is mandated to invite candidates
based on Canada's economic priorities. This includes:
- Positioning for the future and addressing chronic labour shortages; and
- Encourage Canadian immigration to Francophone minority communities and economic development in those communities.
In
addition to allowing the invited candidates to easily integrate into the workforce,
ministers have the flexibility to issue ministerial instructions that will
benefit Canada's workforce.
Number
of ITAs
A
yearly target is outlined in the Immigration Levels Plan for Express Entry, as
are all immigration pathways. For 2022, the target, referred to as Federal High
Skilled Workers, was 55,900. The target for 2023 is 82,880, meaning IRCC will
need to invite more candidates over the coming year to meet it. IRCC plans to
invite 109,020 Federal High Skilled candidates in 2024.
In
order to plan for the number of candidates to invite, the minister and IRCC
need to examine these targets and decide on CRS scores that are high, but not
so high as to limit the number of candidates.
There are
no laws in IRPA that dictate how Express Entry draws should be conducted, and
it is entirely at the discretion of the government and immigration minister.
Changes
to come for Express Entry
Starting this spring, IRCC may invite
candidates through categories that target attributes such as occupation, work
experience—or fluency in French or English.
Since
the passage of Bill C-19 last summer, IRCC has been working to create new draw
categories for Express Entry candidates. The new method will prioritize
immigrants' skills and abilities, rather than focusing solely on their
credentials. The minister of immigration has said that this approach would
allow Canada to focus on economic priorities—such as shortages in the labour
market or specific industries—" whereas before we could not do that because
our system was focused only on points".
Candidates
will still need to be eligible for an Express Entry program and submit a
profile on IRCC’s website, where it can receive their CRS score. In targeted
draws, the chances of being invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence
will increase as CRS scores go up.
It
is too early to tell what impact, if any, targeted draws will have on the
schedule of regular draws. In light of the government's commitment to
increasing immigration levels, it is likely that IRCC will continue its policy
of holding regular draws.
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