Canada Express Entry Draw: IRCC Invites 589 PNP Candidates

Colin R. Singer
May 26, 2022

Canada has conducted a new Express Entry draw, issuing 589 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to Provincial Nominee Program candidates.

The May 25 draw required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 741 points, 12 lower than the previous PNP draw.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser recently announced that all-program draws would resume in early July.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been focused on clearing the current significant backlog before it resumes issuing ITAs in larger numbers.

Canada has so far issued 8,433 invitations, all to PNP candidates, in 2022.

IRCC issued a record 114,431 ITAs in 2021, all to Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and PNP candidates. It beat the previous record of 107,350 set in 2020.

The latest draw saw the tie-breaking rule implemented on February 2, 2022, at 8.29 am EST. If more than one candidate had the minimum CRS score, only those who submitted their Express Entry profiles before this date and time received invitations.

This was the 11th round of invitations under Express Entry in 2022 and 223^rd overall.

When Will FSWP and CEC Draws Resume?

Canada is to resume Express Entry draws for Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades candidates in early July as it ramps up efforts to combat a chronic labour shortage.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said on April 22 that the federal high-skilled backlog had been cut by more than half, from nearly 112,000 in September 2021 to 48,000 in March 2022. The backlog is expected to drop further by July.

It means that Canada can once again start issuing Invitations to Apply to skilled worker candidates both already in the country and from overseas. Since fall 2021, ITAs have only been issued to Provincial Nominee Program candidates.

New applications received from July will be processed within six months in the vast majority of cases, Fraser said in April.

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is an immigration system implemented by Canadian immigration authorities (IRCC) on January 1, 2015 which manages skilled worker applications under Federal Economic programs. This includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program the Canada Experience Class and parts of the Provincial Nomination Programs.

Stakeholders expect to see high numbers of invitations return in July as Canada builds towards its target of 431,645 new permanent residents in 2022. CRS scores remain difficult to predict with program-specific draws during the COVID-19 crisis.

With the coronavirus crisis striking in March 2020, Canada switched to program-specific draws aimed at Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Program candidates. This had the affect of significantly increasing the number of individual draws beyond previous years.

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What Can Employers Do to Recruit Foreign Workers?

Employers are encouraged to consider securing an LMIA or nomination under provincial nomination programs (PNPs) to ensure long term retention of employees.

At immigration.ca we provide Canadian employers with unparalleled immigration legal services and recruitment of foreign nationals through our in-house SkilledWorker, skilledworker.com and skilledworker.com. We bring qualified candidates to Canada in the shortest time possible. Employers in a wide range of industries can directly benefit from our unique position as one of Canada’s leading immigration firms in the industry, with a strong online presence, to meet both their recruitment and immigration requirements.

Interested employers wishing to seek our assistance are invited to contact us here for further information.

What Should Candidates Do Next?

Given the coronavirus crisis, it is difficult to predict what CRS scores will be required to secure an ITA in 2022. Scores dropped as low as 75 for a record CEC draw in 2021.

However, securing an approved offer of employment is highly recommended. Watch our Facebook livestream video on how to find jobs in Canada from overseas.

We offer all our individual clients excellent employment services as well as a 60-minute Live, Face-to-Face LinkedIn tutorial on how to find jobs in all areas of Canada.

Find out whether you qualify for Canada by completing our free online evaluation. We will provide you with your evaluation results within 1-2 business days.

Resources:

Immigration.ca News Articles – A daily news source outlining the latest developments in immigration, employment and the economy with commentaries by Attorney Colin Singer.
At skilledworker.com we are dedicated to developing long-term strategic alliances with client companies and candidates alike. We strictly adhere to our guiding principles of honesty, integrity and confidentiality.

Colin R. Singer is immigration counsel for www.immigration.ca and Managing Partner of SkilledWorker, skilledworker.com, as well as skilledworker.com. He is one of Canada’s foremost senior corporate immigration attorneys. Colin is internationally recognized as an experienced and recommended authority on Canadian immigration and foreign recruitment. In addition to being licensed human resources professional, he is a licensed Canadian lawyer in good standing with the Quebec Law Society for more than 25 years and is authorized by the Canadian government in all immigration matters.