Express Entry: Canada holds major draw inviting 5,956 immigration candidates

Key Highlights:

• Latest Express Entry Draw
• In-Canada Candidates At The Top of The Line

CRS score dropped drastically, which is the second-lowest in 2021 as IRCC continues to draw on applicants willing to settle in Canada amid the COVID pandemic.

On May 31, Canada held a new Express Entry draw welcoming close to 5956 candidates to apply for permanent residency. IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada invited applicants with a score of at least 380.

The newly targeted audience were those who are eligible for the permanent residency under the Canadian Experience Class(CEC) invited applicants who had at least 1 year of skilled work experience in Canada along with intermediate proficiency in official skills, to be eligible for the CEC.

The recent draw was the third-largest Express Entry Draw ever and had the 2nd lowest CRS(Comprehensive Ranking Score) in 2021. Earlier records were also set this year with IRCC inviting applicants close to 27,332 CEC in one draw in February and 6000 CEC candidates each in 2 separate draws in April.

Compared to the last CEC only two weeks ago, Canada invited 4,1114 more candidates today and the score requirements were just 17 points. Three weeks ago, Canada also held a CEC draw inviting candidates with a score of 401.

In-Canada Candidates At The Top of The Line

Canada has been prioritizing those candidates who are willing to settle in Canada permanently. Amid COVID restrictions, applicants who are approved overseas are not able to complete their permanent residency landing. Therefore, it is economical to target local or domestic applicants.

According to IRCC data from May 6, 95 % of CEC candidates were in the Express Entry pool at that time. IRCC has been holding CEC draw atleast2 weeks, except for this 3-week spring following a surprise draw on May 20. Also, every 2 weeks, the immigration department holds a draw targeting only the Provincial Nominee Program(PNP) candidates.

Irrespective of the pandemic, Canada is still admitting record-breaking numbers of new applicants for the next 3 years. This year alone, it has invited 108,500 new immigrants via Express Entry programs.

A large number of applicants are from the historic February 13 draw where IRCC tend to have invited each of the CEC eligible applicants in the pool, a total of 27, 332 people.

PNP and CEC-only draws have different CRS requirements. This is because PNP candidates get an additional 600 points towards their overall score. However, CEC applicants do not compete for the invitations from other programs.