Canada is all set to issue a minimum of 100,000 Express Entry (EE) invitations this year. This will be an amazing achievement, considering the adverse effect Covid-19 had all over the world.
Canada had set a target of 341,000 new permanent admissions this year. This was until travel restrictions started in March 2020. The Canadian immigration minister, Marco Mendicino, had made this announcement.
Canada’s immigration levels Plan 2020-2022 had a target of inviting 91,800 immigrants through the EE program.
IRCC uses the EE system as the primary way of managing economic class immigration applications. The economic class totals to around 60% of all new immigrants entering Canada every year.
Canada realized the need to apply special measures to control Covid-19 by the middle of March. A crucial part of these measures was to restrict entry into the country.
Uncertainty hit the immigration system of the country due to this restriction. The immigration levels of Canada took a dive in April 2020 and still remains low.
There are several recipients of (COPRs) who are unable to travel to Canada due to several reasons. For example, there are some who have expired COPRs and cannot travel to the country.
There are some recipients of COPRs who got their confirmation after March 18. However, travel restrictions prevent them from entering Canada.
The current EE draws, taking place on a bi-weekly basis, is a pleasant surprise. These draws have been taking place since the beginning of the pandemic.
When the pandemic started, people believed that the authorities would pause these EE draws. They thought the authorities would start issuing fewer invitations. But the reality was much different.
Canada is witnessing record-breaking EE draws despite the pandemic. This indicates that Canada is planning to welcome more immigrants once the pandemic is over.
Canada held its largest Express Entry draw on October 14, 2020.
During the draw, Canada issued ITAs for permanent residence to 4,500 EE candidates. These candidates are allowed to apply for permanent residence.
If these candidates are out of the country at the moment, they will still be able to build a life in Canada. However, this is possible after removal of all travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 for COPR holders.
Canada has issued a total of 82,850 Express Entry ITAs so far this year. In recent times, draw sizes have witnessed between 3,900 and 4,200 invitations getting issued per draw.
If everything goes as planned, IRCC will conduct several future EE draws. These would be on October 28, November 11, November 25, December 9, and December 23.
Suppose IRCC manages to invite 3,900 candidates in each of the five remaining EE draws this year. Then the total invitations will total to 102,350 by the end of this year.
On the other hand, suppose IRCC issues an average of 3,500 ITAs for each draw. Considering that the draw sizes are smaller, there will still be over 100,000 ITAs by the end of this year.
What Does This Prove?
- This data shows Canada’s commitment to welcoming more immigrants to support the national economy. This is despite the setbacks caused by Covid-19.
- IRCC considers it possible to process permanent residence applications within a proper time frame. The processing standard of IRCC for EE is a maximum of six months. This is for close to 80% of the total applications.
- One may assume that the bigger draws are a sign of IRCC expecting successful candidates to enter Canada in 2021. If this is not the case, then inviting them to apply for permanent residence at present makes no sense.
- It is possible that IRCC is organizing bigger draws in the future. This is because Canada has reduced its refugee intake for the time being. They had a target of welcoming close to 50,000 refugees this year. However, this will not be possible anymore. The bigger draws may be a result of other economic class programs falling short of their immigration targets this year due to the pandemic.
It is for sure that IRCC will provide a clearer picture of their EE objectives. This during their announcement of their 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan by the end of this month.
EE draws seem to be breaking several records in recent times. It may seem EE and other overall immigration targets will remain high in all the following years.
Contact us if you have any queries about Express Entry immigration.