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How to Immigrate to Canada Under Express Entry

Saskatchewan draws 769 immigration candidates from Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand 

In a draw on September 25 that yielded 769 selections, Saskatchewan sent invitations to apply for provincial nominations to Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand candidates. 

If successful, the provincial nominations will get the candidates 600 points added to their federal Express Entry profiles. Such high reaching scores will put the applicants extremely high on the list for a federal draw, and all but guarantees an opportunity at Canadian permanent residence.  

Several weeks ago, the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) expanded their list of in-demand high-skilled occupations. This list is used by the provincial Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand programs to select the most qualified immigration candidates. The list formerly only had 19 positions, but it now encompasses 218 occupations.

In this draw, 404 of the invitation were sent through Express Entry, while the remaining 365 were from the Occupations in Demand stream. According to the SINP, those chosen this round have experiences that span across more than 100 occupations. Their expertise ranged from professions like chemical engineers to psychologists. 

To qualify, applicants needed to have at least one year of experience in an occupation from the list. However, they did not require a job offer from a Saskatchewan employer.

Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program 

Saskatchewan’s Express Entry program is now slightly different from the federal version in how it ranks the candidates for the draws. SINP requires its applicants to register through the Expression of Interests (EOI) System, and they are given a score out of 100 based on how well they meet the system’s credentials. However, the criteria are very similar to Express Entry’s Comprehensive Ranking System score. Both systems give points based on the applicants English or French language proficiency, skilled work experience, and educational background.

The draw on September 25 had separate minimum score requirements for both streams. The Express Entry required an EOI score of at least 70 for its candidates, while the Occupation In-Demand applicants needed a minimum score of 79.

How to Immigrate to Canada Under Express Entry

express entry draw

New Express Entry draw threshold falls to 440Minimum threshold goes down by five points in latest Express Entry draw

 

3,900 candidates were sent invitation to apply for permanent residence in the New Express Entry draw held on October 15th. This latest draw saw the minimum score this year at 440 which has ranged between 440 and 452 throughout the year.

 

The minimum threshold reached in the previous draw was 445 on October 3rd, which dropped by 5 points. This is the fifth time in this year that the score has dipped to 440.

 

This marks the fifth time in 2018 that the minimum score for an all-program Express Entry draw was 440.

 

According to the tie-break rule followed by IRCC, the date and time used was September 18, 2018, at 11:06:29 UTC, which means that all candidates with a score above 440, as well as those candidates with scores of 440 who submitted their profile before this specified date and time, will receive an ITA in this invitation round.

 

The gap between the two draws is only 12 days, and it is believed that the fact that this draw was held earlier than the 15-day interval, helped the score slide down. Usually such a drastic reduction in between draws, and large no of applicants being invited helps the score go low. The lesser the time between draws, the lesser the time for the pool to replenish, and this is what results in lower scores.

 

In the Express Entry system, which came into force in 2015, applicants are ranked according to their comprehensive ranking scores, which bases points based on factors including work experience, education, age and proficiency in English or French, Canada’s two official languages.

 

Candidates with the highest scores are issued an ITA through regular invitation rounds.

 

In 2018, IRCC has till now issued more than 70,000 invitations. A total no of 22 draws have been held so far in this year. In 2017, IRCC had till now sent 72,221 ITAs. The total no of applicants invited through Express Entry last year was 86,023.

 

The Govt of Canada has a target of 74,900 immigrants brought in through its 3 categories under Express Entry that is Federal Skilled Workers, Federal Skilled Trades and the Canadian Experience Class. For 2019, this target is 81,400.