A summary of the success in 2020 of Express Entry.
Despite the hits Canada took to immigration levels in 2020, it was the best year in the history of the Express Entry system.
Canada ended the year by issuing Express Entry applicants with 107,350 Invitations to Apply (ITAs). After the Express Entry scheme was implemented in 2015, this was the highest cumulative invitation to handle the pool of applicants for the three Federal High-Skilled Immigration Programs of Canada, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), as well as some of its Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP).
In 2020, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Immigration Department of Canada held 36 invitation rounds. This is 10 more than last year since the IRCC conducted draws in the early weeks of the pandemic that only targeted candidates from the CEC and PNP. In an attempt to prioritize applicants for Express Entry who were already in Canada, this was accomplished.
In both the biggest and smallest Express Entry drawings ever, 2020 smashed records. The smallest draw was a single draw from the PNP on April 15, when only 118 invitations were given. Canada began giving out 5,000 ITAs at a time by the end of the year. The rise in drawing sizes may be an attempt to meet the immigration target of 401,000 new permanent residents next year. Usually, those who apply for permanent residency after receiving an ITA are issued a decision in six months, so those applicants who have received ITAs by the end of the year can begin becoming permanent residents in 2021.
Canada has allocated 108,500 out of the 401,000 new immigrants planned for next year, to come through an Express Entry-managed program in 2021. Such targets will only rise in subsequent years, with a limit of 113,750 in 2023.
The rise in the goals is attributed to the low levels of admission that Canada saw in 2020. Restrictions on travel in Canada and around the world have made it impossible for many to land in Canada.
In 2020, draw sizes
With consistently rising draw sizes, the year began. On February 19, when the IRCC released 4,500 invitations, the highest was in the first quarter.
Minimum score needed
How many top-scoring candidates Canada chooses to invite in any given round is decided by the Detailed Ranking System (CRS) score cut off. When the IRCC applies the tie-break rule to candidates who are bound for the minimum CRS cut off, the date and time of when the candidate joined the pool is a consideration.
For 2020, the lowest CRS cut off score was 415, and it was a draw for FSTP. On June 25, the lowest CEC scoring requirement was 431.
For an all-program draw, the CRS threshold fell to 468 on December 23. Since October 2019, Canada has not seen a CRS requirement for an all-program draw that small.
The 2021 Express Entry
Canada would have to authorize about 8,946 Express Entry candidates each month to meet the targets for next year. That’s around 4,473 candidates for two draws each month.
Canada will have to invite upwards of 4,500 candidates per draw in 2021 to account for candidates who may no longer wish to come to Canada, or who are not accepted.