On 19th January 2022, the Express Entry draw number 214 for immigration to Canada was held, in which 1,036 candidates were invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score cutoff was lower this time, at 745, as compared to the previous 808.
IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) has invited only Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates for the past 4 months. This is the 10th consecutive time when only PNP candidates were invited and, among that, the second time when there are over 1,000 candidates. The last draw held for CEC (Canadian Experience Class) candidates was on September 14th, and the latest all-program draw was held in December 2020.
A total of 7,445 PNP candidates have been invited for permanent residency since September 2021, out of which 1,428 are from the Express Entry draw of 2022.
Why only PNP Candidates?
Because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, IRCC faced a huge backlog of applications during the past years. This is why they have been holding only small PNP Express Entry draws. To reduce the backlogs and get Express Entry processing down to six months again, IRCC paused the CEC draws from September 2021.
The Express Entry backlog went down from 138,000 to 119,000 by the end of 2021.
The backlog for FSTP (Federal Skilled Trades Program) went down from 931 to 805 and CEC from 48,000 to 25,000, during the October to December period.
During the same period, the backlog for PNP went up from 1,000 to 39,000 and FSWP (Federal Skilled Worker Program) from 51,000 to about 55,000.
What is the Provincial Nominee Program or PNP?
PNP is a program that allows provinces and territories in Canada to nominate individuals who want to settle and work in a certain Canadian province. The provinces select the candidates who meet their requirements and job criteria and nominate them. The candidate can either apply directly through the Express Entry system of the respective province or can show this nomination in the Express Entry profile, and get an additional 600 points in their CRS score. A higher CRS score increases the probability of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA). After approval from IRCC, candidates have to complete the other formalities as mentioned by IRCC to complete the landing process.
What is the Express Entry System?
Express Entry System manages the applications of skilled workers through three Federal Economic Programs: the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). It uses a point-based system, Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), to rank candidates’ profiles, and based on their scores and ranking, ITA are issued. After their application gets approved, they have to follow the further procedures laid down by IRCC.
What to Expect in 2022?
This year, Canada has set up a target of welcoming 411,000 immigrants as Permanent Residents, after achieving the previous target successfully. Out of these 411,000, a total of 241,500 are to be invited from two major immigration pathways, i.e., 110,500 candidates from the Federal Economic Programs; and 81,500 from Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
