Canada holds first Express Entry draw of 2021

The first federal draw of 2021 – Express Entry Draw #171 – was held on January 6, 2021 at 14:39:02 UTC. The program specified for the draw was the Provincial Nominee Class. Hence, only those Canada immigration candidates were eligible for the latest round of invitations that had a provincial nomination.

The 250 PNP candidates that received invitations can now proceed to officially applying for Canadian permanent residence.

As the January 6 Express Entry draw was a PNP-only draw, the minimum CRS cut-off was that of 813. By CRS here is implied the ranking score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System that is allotted to an Express Entry profile out of a maximum of 1,200 points.

A provincial nomination fetches an Express Entry candidate 600 CRS points.

As per Immigration, Refugees and Immigration Canada [IRCC], “If you’re a Provincial Nominee, you must settle in the province or territory that nominated you.”

Launched in 2015, Canada’s Express Entry system is an online system used for managing the applications for permanent residence from skilled workers.

Step-wise process for applying for Canada PR through the Express Entry

Programs managed ·       Federal Skilled Worker Program [FSWP]: For skilled workers that have foreign work experience and intend immigrating to Canada permanently. 67 points to be scored on a grid that assesses various 6 factors – age, education, work experience, a valid job offer,  language skills, and adaptability [or the likelihood of the candidate successfully settling in Canada]. ·       Federal Skilled Trades Program [FSTP]: For skilled workers that wish to take up Canadian permanent residence based on being qualified in a skilled trade. As per IRCC, “There is no education requirement for the Federal Skilled Trades Program.” ·       Canadian Experience Class [CEC]: For skilled workers that have Canadian work experience and want to take up Canada PR. At least 1 year of skilled work experience in Canada [in the last 3 years before applying] will be required. There is no education requirement for the CEC. ·       Provincial Nominee Program [Express-Entry linked pathways only]: If a province or territory nominates a candidate through an Express Entry stream, it will be listed on their nomination certificate.

STEP 1: Determining eligibility

STEP 2: Getting documentation ready

STEP 3: Submitting an Express Entry profile

STEP 4: Receiving an invitation from IRCC and applying for Canada PR.

Following the record-breaking year 2020 for Express Entry, 2021 is also expected to be a big year for Express Entry with over 4 lakh immigrants to be welcomed.

Canada will be welcoming 401,000 immigrants in 2021. Of these, 108,500 will be through the Express Entry [FSWP, FSTP, CEC]. Another 80,800 will be welcomed in 2021 through the PNP.

With the tie-breaking rule of November 2, 2020 at 11:11:52 UTC applied to Express Entry Draw #171, if more than 1 candidate had the required minimum CRS of 813, the cut-off was based on the date and time that they had submitted their Express Entry profile.

As per IRCC, there were a total of 146,495 profiles in the Express Entry pool as on January 4, 2021.

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.

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