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In the latest Express Entry draw held on April 16, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada(IRCC) issued 3782 invitations to Canadian Experience Class(CEC) candidates. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off score dropped to 455, the lowest of the year 2020 so far.
The draw was held just one day after another Express Entry draw was held in which 118 provincial nominees were invited. Together, a total 3900 candidates have been invited in these two draws held within just two days.
The CRS cut-off score of the latest draw is 12 points lower than the cut-off score in the last Express Entry draw that exclusively targeted Canadian Experience Class candidates, which was 467.
This is the fourth Express Entry draw that has exclusively targeted Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates. Immigration experts observe that IRCC is conducting draws for CEC candidates in the wake of COVID-19 crisis. The CEC candidates are most likely be in Canada at the time of receiving invitations. So, they do not require entering the country and quarantining. However, it is not clear how long Canada would continue with these restrictions.
On the positive side, Canada continues to issue Express Entry invitations and process immigration applications despite the COVID-19 crisis. Provincial Nominee Programs are also being allowed to meet their annual allocations.
With the latest draw, the total number of invitations issued through Express Entry so far this year has climbed to 30400. The total number invitations issued last year was 85300.
Tie-breaking rule for the latest draw was implemented on January 20, 2020, at 15:20:02 UTC. It means all CEC candidates with a minimum CRS score of 455 and submitted their profiles before the said date and time received invitations in the latest draw.
Submitting applications for Canada PR
IRCC has already made it clear that they would not refuse applications even if the candidate is unable to submit the complete application owing to COVID-19 crisis. If you are invited but are unable to collect all the required documents within the stipulated 60 days, you may submit the incomplete application with a letter explaining as why you are unable to submit the required documents. You need to submit these documents only within 90 days. Further, though the request letter for biometric details would require you to submit the details within 30 days, you will have 90 days to fulfill the requirement.
According to the Immigration Levels Plan for 2020-2022, Canada targets to admit 341,000 immigrants in 2020, 351,000 in 2021, and another 361,000 in 2022. As Canada has set higher immigration targets for its three Federal Skilled immigration programs in 2020 and 2021, it is expected that more frequent and larger draws would be conducted in coming weeks and months.
Express Entry draws held so far in 2020
| Draw Number | Date | Number of ITAs issued | Minimum CRS score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 144 | April 16 | 3782 | 455(CEC-specific draw) |
| 143 | April 15 | 118 | 808(PNP-specific draw) |
| 142 | April 9 | 3,294 | 464(CEC-specific draw) |
| 141 | April 9 | 606 | 698(PNP-specific draw) |
| 140 | March 23 | 3232 | 467 (CEC-specific draw) |
| 139 | March 18 | 668 | 720(PNP-specific draw) |
| 138 | March 4 | 3900 | 471 |
| 137 | February 19 | 4500 | 470 |
| 136 | February 5 | 3500 | 472 |
| 135 | January 22 | 3400 | 471 |
| 134 | January 8 | 3400 | 473 |
Canada Express Entry offers simple and fast-track pathway for international skilled workers to migrate to the country. Check your eligibility for Express Entry migration by our free online assessment form.
