Canada’s provinces continued to be actively involved in strengthening Canada’s immigration system in 2020.
Over the past year, and despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) have kept the number of provincial nominees constant and continued adding new immigration streams to meet their most pressing and specific needs.
The PNP is an immigration program jointly administered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments. It offers Canadian provinces and territories the opportunity to create their own immigration streams to better meet their labour market needs and economic development objectives. The PNP also aims to spread the benefits of economic immigration more equitably across Canada.
It was the biggest year in the Express Entry system’s history despite the hits Canada took to immigration levels in 2020.
Canada finished off the year issuing 107,350 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to Express Entry candidates. This was the highest invitation total since the Express Entry system was introduced in 2015 to manage the pool of candidates for Canada’s three Federal High-Skilled immigration programs the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) as well as some of its Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP).
Canada’s immigration department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held 36 invitation rounds in 2020. This is 10 more than last year because in the early weeks of the pandemic IRCC was holding draws that only targeted CEC and PNP candidates. This was done in an effort to prioritize Express Entry candidates who were already in Canada.
Saskatchewan’s held a new draw on December 17, inviting immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence.
The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) invited candidates from the International Skilled Worker category through two subcategories: Express Entry, and Occupations In-Demand. They sent out a total of 576 invitations to immigration candidates who had work experience in select occupations. A total of 190 were invited through the Express Entry sub-category, and 386 invitations went to Occupations In-Demand candidates.
In order to be invited in this draw, candidates from both sub-categories needed to have submitted Expression of Interest (EOI) profiles with the SINP. Regardless of the category, invited candidates needed an EOI score of at least 71 in order to be invited. This is the provincial requirement, not the Comprehensive Ranking System cutoff. Invited candidates all had Educational Credential Assessments.
Ontario’s latest Tech Draw took place on December 15. A total of 668 Express Entry candidates were invited to apply for a provincial nomination.
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) issued targeted Notifications of Interest (NOIs) to candidates who may qualify for the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream. These candidates must have profiles in the federal Express Entry system.
The 668 principal applicants received NOIs from the Tech Draw. Express Entry candidates needed a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score between 460 and 468 in order to be invited. Candidates did not need to have a job offer lined up, but they needed at least one year of work experience in one of the following tech occupations: