Should I enter Canada’s Express Entry pool now?

Canada is the most popular country for migrate overseas. As per a study, the list of Top 10 countries most-welcoming for a migrant has Canada leading them all. 92% of newcomers to Canada found their community to be welcoming. Launched in 2015, Canada’s Express Entry system is the most sought-after immigration program worldwide. An online application management system, the federal Express Entry system comes under the purview of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada [IRCC]. Now, given the recent developments on the global scale as well as the constantly evolving situation, a common question for Canada immigration hopefuls remains – Should I enter Canada's Express Entry pool now? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RELATED Canada Skilled Immigration Points Calculator – Check your eligibility --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let’s get the facts right. 401,000 newcomers to be welcomed by Canada in 2021 As per Canada’s 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan, 401,000 are to be welcomed by Canada in 2021 alone. Another 411,000 are estimated to be granted permanent residence in Canada in 2022. For 2023, the inductions target stands at 421,000. Initially, Canada’s immigration targets for 2021 was that of 351,000. Announced on March 12, 2020, the 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan of the federal government of Canada had laid down a target of welcoming 1.14 million newcomers until 2022. A week later – on March 18, 2020 – Canada imposed international travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In view of the service limitations and disruptions globally, while IRCC draws continued to be held, the focus shifted to those more likely to already be within Canada. Candidates, that is, who might have a nomination by a provincial or territorial government, or those with previous and recent Canadian work experience. Hence, since March 2020, Canada has mostly been alternating between inviting those with a nomination under the Provincial Nominee Program [PNP], or those eligible for the Canadian Experience Class [CEC].

IRCC Express Entry Programs

[1] Federal Skilled Worker Program [FSWP]: for skilled workers [2] Federal Skilled Trades Program [FSTP]: targeted at those with specialization in a specific trade, and [3] Canadian Experience Class [CEC]: for those with previous and recent work experience in Canada. Work experience gained in Canada while studying full-time as an international student will not be considered.

While technically not coming under IRCC Express Entry, Canadian PNP also has many immigration streams linked with the Express Entry system. A PNP nomination = CRS 600 points for a federal Express Entry candidate.

  108,500 to be welcomed through IRCC Express Entry in 2021 With the latest IRCC draw – Express Entry Draw #205 held on September 15, 2021 – so far in 2021, a total of 108,935 ITAs have been issued by IRCC. The IRCC Express Entry inductions target for 2021 has not only been met, but exceeded as well. By the same time in 2020, the number of ITAs issued by IRCC stood at 69,950. 80,800 to gain Canada PR in 2021 through Canadian PNP Thera are around 80 immigration pathways under Canadian PNP. Do keep in mind that if seeking Canada PR through the PNP, there must be the clear intention of taking up permanent residence within the nominating province/territory. The specific requirements vary from stream to stream.  

Canadian provinces/territories and their PNP programs
Alberta	Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program [AINP]
British Columbia	British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program [BC PNP]
Manitoba	Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program [MPNP]
Ontario	Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program [OINP]
Nova Scotia	Nova Scotia Nominee Program [NSNP]
New Brunswick	New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program [NBPNP]
Newfoundland and Labrador	Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program [NLPNP]
Prince Edward Island	Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program [PEI PNP]
Northwest Territories	Northwest Territories Provincial Nominee Program
Saskatchewan	Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program [SINP]
Yukon	Yukon Nominee Program [YNP]

  No FSWP invitations so far in 2021 The last all-program IRCC draw had been held on December 23, 2020. So far in 2021, no invitations have been issued by IRCC to Express Entry candidates looking to acquire permanent residence in Canada through the FSWP. Moreover, there is no certainty as to precisely when all-program draws can be expected to be resumed by IRCC. Entering the IRCC pool of candidates right now will ensure that your profile is there for consideration whenever FSWP candidates are invited by IRCC. With a profile created, you no longer have to remain in suspense and probably be caught off-guard in case of any all-program surprise draw by IRCC. IRCC draws are not announced before-hand and do not follow any previously-determined schedule.   Entering IRCC pool makes your profile visible to provincial and territorial [PT] governments If you enter the IRCC Express Entry pool right now, your profile becomes visible to all the provincial and territorial governments eligible for Canadian PNP. To be considered by any specific PT government, you must either –

• specify an interest in being nominated by that particular province/territory, or
• select ‘all’ so that your profile is accessible to all provincial/territorial governments.

Do keep in mind that the provincial and territorial governments that are a part of Canadian PNP cannot view your profile unless you have stated an intention – in your IRCC Express Entry profile – in being considered by them. You might also be required to register an Expression of Interest [EOI] profile with the specific province or territory that you want to approach for a PNP nomination. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now is probably the best time for creating your Express Entry profile with IRCC. The recommended course of action, given the circumstances, would be that of securing a PNP nomination, thereby ensuring an ITA by IRCC. That way, you can be assured of an ITA – on the basis of a CRS 600+ score through PNP nomination – even if no FSWP candidates are invited in subsequent federal draws. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you are looking to Work, Study, Invest, Visit, or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No. 1 Immigration & Visa Company. If you found this blog engaging, you may also like … 500,000 immigrants working in Canada are trained in STEM fields  ========================================================================