Canada immigration authorities have conducted a rare Express Entry draw aimed at Federal Skilled Trades Program candidates, issuing 250 Invitations to Apply.
The August 6 draw required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 415. It was the first Skilled Trades draw since October 16, 2019.
It followed an August 5 all-program draw that saw 3,900 ITAs issued, with a minimum CRS of 476.
Since COVID-19 travel restrictions were put in place on March 18, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has focused on program-specific draws aimed at Provincial Nominees and the Canadian Experience Class.
Including the latest Skilled Trades draw, 18 out of 21 draws since the restrictions have been targeted at PNP or CEC candidates.
The logic was that candidates in the two categories are more likely to already be in Canada than those coming through other Express Entry-linked programs, meaning they will not be affected by travel restrictions.
In the period from March 18 through to today, nine draws have been conducted targeting PNP candidates and nine targeting CEC candidates. Those draws have seen 35,050 ITAs issued, including 4,185 to PNP candidates and 30,915 to CEC candidates.
Canada has now issued 61,321 ITAs so far in 2020, after issuing a total of 85,300 in 2019. IRCC broke the record for annual Express Entry ITAs in 2018 with 89,800.
Canada’s high-skilled immigration admission target for 2020 is 85,800, up from 81,400 in 2019. However, it is likely that permanent resident admissions will be affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
The latest draw includes the tie-breaking rule implemented on June 2, 2020 at 5.25am 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 24th round of invitations under Express Entry in 2020 and 159th overall.
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 near 30 draws and more than 80,000 invitations issued in 2020, with a majority of draws featuring CRS scores around 470 to enable Canadian immigration authorities to meet targeted annual immigration levels for 2020.
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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?
It is expected that the majority of applicants to be issued ITAs in 2020 will require a CRS score around 470 points, enabling a significant number of applicants to receive permanent admission to Canada without a job offer or nomination under a provincial immigration program. 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 with 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 to Canada by completing our free online evaluation. We will provide you with your evaluation results within 1-2 business days.
Resources:
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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 https://immigration.caand 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 a 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.
