Express Entry starts 2020 with 3,400 permanent residence ITAs
The first Express Entry draw of 2020 was held on January 8th, with 3,400 Canadian immigration candidates invited to apply for permanent residence. This draw had a required Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 473, which is 4 points higher than the previous draw, held on December 19th.
The Express Entry system is a popular immigration stream that allows skilled foreign workers to gain their Canadian permanent residence. The system draws candidates from three of Canada’s skilled-worker programs: the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Class. These high-skilled professionals create profiles with the Express Entry system. Every few weeks a draw is held, and those with the highest-scoring profiles are selected.
Candidates’ profiles are ranked based on their individual score in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS awards points based on qualifying factors such as French or English language skills, education, work experience, age, etc. Additionally, candidates are awarded additional points for currently being employed, however, having a job offer is not required to qualify.
Each Express Entry draw has a minimum CRS score that candidates have to meet in order to be accepted. For example, this particular draw had a score requirement of 473 or more. Unfortunately, the minimum CRS scores tend to rise when the gap between draws are longer, as was the case between the last two draws.
Potential candidates who wish to increase their CRS scores to be considered for Express Entry have a few options. For one, scoring higher on a Canadian Language Benchmark test can help increase overall CRS scores. And another popular option is working towards obtaining a Provincial Nomination, which adds 600 points to an Express Entry profile.
Express Entry Goals for 2020
For the new year, Express Entry’s target is to send at least 85,800 ITAs by the end of 2020. The goal for 2021 is to increase this target to 88,800 ITAs. With such a high admission target, there will be many opportunities to gain permanent residence through this system. And for those hoping to increase their scores and be considered for Express Entry, there are also plenty of openings coming up in the provincial nomination streams. The federal government plans on presenting 67,800 provincial nominations this year. What’s more, in 2021 that target will be bumped up to 71,300.
