There has not been a draw since October 26th and IRCC has not explained the reasons for the pause. Despite this, there are many reasons why you should still consider entering the Express Entry pool. Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs Entering the Express Entry pool if you are eligible to do so is beneficial as it increases your chances of successfully immigrating to Canada. While in the pool, a province may be interested in your profile and issue an invitation for a provincial nomination, which will essentially guarantee that you will eventually guarantee that you will receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence. A provincial nomination is the most valuable factor under Express Entry’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), as it results in a candidate receiving an additional 600 points towards their CRS score. The CRS ranks candidates based on age, education, work experience, language ability and more.
The higher your CRS score, the greater the chance you receive an ITA. Almost every province and territory operate their own provincial programs, and each Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) has at least one immigration stream that is aligned with Express Entry. For example, Ontario’s Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) searches the Express Entry pool to find candidates that may meet the criteria of one of Ontario’ Express Entry immigration streams. On November 30th, Ontario issued 1,052 notifications of interests to candidates who may qualify for Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream. Candidates received a nomination if they had a CRS score of 404-430 and work experience in one of the 42 targeted health care occupations. In 2023, the Ontario’s Human Capital Priorities stream has issued notifications of interest to over 15,000 candidates, compared to around 4,000 in 2022. The majority of these notifications were issued to candidates in health or tech occupations. This demonstrates that even though there has been a pause in Express Entry draws, by being in the Express Entry pool, you can still receive a provincial nomination and be amongst the first ones invited to apply for permanent residence when the draws resume. Invitations to apply for candidates with lower CRS scores Express Entry draws can resume at any time, and with almost any CRS score cut-off. There have been times when IRCC has had draws with very low CRS cut-offs.
About half of all Express Entry candidates had a CRS score of 451-500, according to Canadian government data on the candidates who have received ITAs between January and September 2023. However, in the last few months alone, there have been Express Entry draws that have invited candidates with CRS scores in the 300s. These lower CRS scores are associated with category-based selection draws. Express Entry category-based draws were introduced earlier this year and invite those who strong French language proficiency or who have work experience to apply for permanent residence: Healthcare Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors Transport Agriculture and agri-food Due to the diversification of candidates in these categories, category-based selection caters to more candidates, allowing CRS scores to be lower than in program specific and general Express Entry draws. In addition, Canada immigration levels are increasing. In 2022, Canada broke the record for new immigrants with 437,000 admissions. The target for permanent resident admissions in 2023 is 465,000. According to the Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026, in 2025 and 2026, Canada’s goal is to welcome 500,000 immigrants each year. Since Canada is looking to welcome an increasing number of immigrants, candidates with lower CRS scores have more opportunities to be invited to apply for permanent residency.
