Immigration: Let s not forget about the Canadian citizens of tomorrow cicnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cicnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Welcoming 401,000 immigrants this year is a steep mountain for the Canadian government to climb, but it can be done.
The Saturday February 13 Express Entry draw, which invited a stunning 27,332 candidates to apply for permanent residence, shows that the government is preparing to climb the mountain.
In the months leading up to the start of the pandemic, Canada was inviting around 3,500 candidates per Express Entry draw with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirement in the 470 region. Towards the end of 2020, Canada broke the Express Entry draw record by inviting 5,000 candidates, a feat which it achieved four times up until Christmas.
The first surprise is the sheer size of the draw. Since its launch in 2015, the largest Express Entry draws ever have issued 5,000 permanent residence invitations. In other words, yesterday’s draw was nearly six times larger than the previous record.
Another major surprise is that IRCC decided to invite candidates with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score as low as 75. This means they invited almost every Express Entry candidate that met the eligibility criteria of the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program.
Express Entry is a competitive system and prior to COVID-19, IRCC would only invite candidates with the highest CRS scores. Right before the pandemic, a candidate typically needed a CRS of around 470 to receive a permanent residence invitation. Getting a CRS of 470 or above usually means you have several years of post-secondary training and perhaps multiple educational credentials, several years of professional work experience, and a strong command of English and/or Fr
The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc around the world, but there is plenty of reason for hope.
Numerous coronavirus vaccines have been developed and vaccination campaigns are underway around the world including here in Canada.
The start of the year was largely uneventful for Canada’s immigration system. The Canadian government had a new mandate and new immigration minister following a federal election in late-2019. The government’s immigration mandate letter and official policy statements suggested no major changes. Canada would continue to welcome high levels of immigrants, international students, and foreign workers to support a strong economy and society.