Canada Express Entry Draw and PNP Update May 2020

The Immigration and Refugee Council of Canada (IRCC) had issued four Express Entry draws during this month, supplemented by additional draws by individual provinces through the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP) over the last four days. The Express Entry system has selected applicants who have experience working in Canada and those with the most in-demand skills required by individual provinces. In the first two major draws at the beginning of the month:

Express Entry draw #145 - 589 applicants with a Provincial Nomination and a Comprehensive Ranking System score of 692 points were invited to apply for permanent residency
Express Entry draw #146 - 3,311 applicants from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) were invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada. The CRS cut-off for this draw was 452 points.

To obtain a provincial nomination, you can create an Expression of Interest in a particular province or territory on your Express Entry profile. If your skills or qualifications are in demand by that province, they will issue you a provincial nomination, contributing 600 points to your CRS score. In other words, a provincial nomination all but guarantees an invitation to apply for permanent residency in Canada.

The next two major draws took place halfway through the month, and another 3,900 applicants were issued ITA’s:

• Express Entry draw #147 - 529 applicants with a Provincial Nomination and a CRS of 718 points were invited to apply for permanent residency.
• Express Entry draw #146 - 3,371 applicants from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) were invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada. The CRS cut-off for this draw was 447 points.

Last month's summary is a provincial nomination or valid work experience in Canada is the way to go for the present. So let’s have a quick look at how you might go about taking one of these immigration pathways for Canada.

CEC - The Canadian Experience Class category of the Express Entry system requires that applicants must have at least 1 year of work experience in Canada within the last three years. The work can be in a part-time position, but must then equal one years’ full-time work experience.

The position must fall within the National Occupations Category 0, A or B (Managerial jobs, professional jobs, and technical jobs or skilled trades);

You must be able to prove you have met or currently meet the requirements of the positions as specified;

There is no education requirement, however, you can increase your CRS score by attending a post-secondary school in Canada or having your foreign credentials assessed;

You must score a minimum of 7 on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) tests for NOC 0, A, or a 5 for NOC B positions.