Express Entry lives up to its name as CIC continues to select candidates
After welcoming the first three successful immigrants of the newly launched Express Entry system, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is continuing to select candidates from the applicant pool.
A press release from CIC has identified a former Irish citizen and two Chinese nationals as the first three Express Entry applicants to be granted permanent resident status in Canada. All three are skilled workers currently employed in the province of Ontario.
New Express Entry system expedites Canadian immigration process
Under the new Express Entry selection system, qualified immigration hopefuls submit a profile to the Express Entry applicant pool. The government then chooses candidates from the pool and invites them formally to apply for permanent resident status.
The first Express Entry draw, performed by CIC at the end of January, generated 779 invitations to apply. Soon after announcing the first three permanent residents welcomed via Express Entry, CIC performed its seventh draw on Friday, April 10th. With this latest draw, CIC issued 925 invitations. Thus far, a total of 6,851 candidates from the Express Entry pool have been invited to apply for Canadian permanent residency.
Qualifications
To enter the Express Entry pool, candidates must qualify for a federal economic immigration program, such as the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, or the Federal Skilled Trades Program. Eligible candidates from the pool are subsequently assessed according to a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). CIC prioritizes the highest-ranking candidates based on points scored under this system. Candidates officially invited to apply for Canadian permanent residency must then submit their completed PR application within 60 days. CIC has publicized their intention to process these applications in six months or less, hence the “Express Entry” label.
The CRS points system and its criteria have raised concerns from certain groups of prospective immigrants, such as international students who have completed their studies at Canadian post-secondary institutions in the hopes of remaining in the country afterward. In particular, the 600 CRS points awarded for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-based job offer places some international students at a disadvantage.
Other Express Entry statistics from the seventh draw
In the latest draw, each of the invitees scored 469 points or higher. This is the third consecutive draw in which a number of the candidates did not already have a Canadian offer of employment or a provincial nomination at the time of their selection. In contrast, the first four successive draws, performed between January 31st and February 27th, included only individuals who already had a job offer from a Canadian employer, or a provincial nomination.
However, the most recent draw is the first in which the number of invitations has decreased from the number issued during the previous draw. Also for the first time, the minimum number of CRS points required for selection has increased from the minimum required in the preceding draw.
On the positive side, although Express Entry applications were initially estimated to take six months or less for CIC to process, the results have shown that it can take half that time — even a matter of weeks — for early applicants to become permanent residents.
If you want to ensure your Express Entry profile submission is as compliant and competitive as possible, contact First Immigration Law Firm toll-free in North America @ 1-855-360-4333. Our Canadian immigration law firm has years of experience with the Canadian Experience Class Program, Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program.