Express Entry #177: 671 PNP candidates are invited
Canada held its 177th Express Entry draw on March 8. A total of 671 ITA are issued.
The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score in this round was 739. This CRS score is 19 points higher than the previous PNP- specific draw because everyone invited had previously received a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
Candidates can receive an additional 600 CRS points if they receive an invitation through an Express Entry-aligned Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). This effectively guarantees they will successfully receive an ITA for permanent residence.
The PNP is the second main way Canada welcomes skilled worker immigrants. Most of Canada’s provinces and territories operate their own immigrant selection systems through the PNP to welcome skilled newcomers who can help address their local labour market needs. Candidates who meet the selection criteria of an Express Entry-aligned PNP stream are eligible to obtain the additional 600 CRS points assuming they receive a provincial nomination invitation.
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Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) applied a tie break rule in today’s draw; candidates had to have submitted their profiles before February 16, 2021 at 19:10:25 UTC. This means that all candidates with CRS scores above 739, as well as those with scores of 739 who entered their profile in the Express Entry pool before this date and time, received an ITA.
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The majority of these invitations came from when IRCC issued 27,332 ITAs from the previous draw on Saturday, February 13. This is not only the biggest Express Entry draw ever, but it also had a historically low CRS requirement of 75.
It is unusual to see draws happen more than two weeks apart. Today’s draw comes 22 days after the Saturday draw when every single candidate in the pool who was eligible for the Canadian Experience Class was invited to apply for permanent residence.
How does Express Entry System work?
Canada’s main three categories are managed under the Express Entry System are: –
In the Express Entry system, eligible candidates for the FSWC, FSTC, CEC programs, and some Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates are scored based on the Comprehensive Ranking System, or CRS.
Candidates are ranked in the pool based on the CRS that considers 4 main factors: –
- Age
- Education
- Skilled work experience
- Proficiency in English or French
Express Entry is a two step process. In step one, candidates who are eligible under at least one of the three aforementioned skilled worker programs upload their profile onto IRCC’s website. They then get a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on their human capital such as their age, education, language skills, and work experience.
In step two, IRCC holds Express Entry draws approximately every two weeks and issues Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence to candidates with the highest CRS scores. If a candidate receives an ITA, they can go ahead and submit a permanent residence application to IRCC.