Today, a new Express Entry Draw took place that invited 5000 candidates to apply for Permanent Residency to Canada. The lowest cut-off score was 449 for today’s draw.
After the historic draw on February 13, 2021, where 27,332 candidates were invited to apply, the cut-off score had dropped to 75.
Canada is set on the path to invite 401,000 immigrants this year. Of those, 108,500 are expected to be invited under the Express Entry system.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry by itself is not an immigration program per se. It is rather an application management system that caters to the following three streams of immigration:
· Federal Skilled Worker
· Federal Skilled Trades
· Canadian Experience Class
The candidates who meet the eligibility criteria for the above streams can create a profile in the Express Entry system. Points are allotted to the candidates based on information provided. From time to time, the draws are announced and candidates who met the cutoff threshold were invited to apply.
How has COVID impacted the Express Entry system?
The profiles submitted under Express system are still getting invitations. However, since January 2021, we have seen draws only for Provincial Nominee Class and Canadian Experience Class. There has been no general draw this year so far. These candidates are already on the home soil and the government seems to be prioritizing on retaining the talent that is already in Canada.
Last year as well, we had seen the general draws resume in the month of July, and they continued until December. We are hoping to see the draws resume sometime this year, but it depends on what the government decides.
If you meet the criteria for any of the streams mentioned above, now is a good time as any to create your profile and enter the system.
If you are unsure whether you meet the criteria, contact us at +1-604-396-9557 and we can provide you with a free assessment and guide you on your path to immigrate to Canada.
