January 23, 2019

On January 23, 3019, The Government of Canada issued its second round of Express Entry Invitations where 3900 Skilled Workers received Invitations to Apply (“ITA”). The Comprehensive Ranking Scores (“CRS”) of the lowest-ranked candidates was 443. Candidates in the Express Entry Pool with scores of 443 prior to January 2, 2019 received ITA’s. This is the second round of invitations issued since the beginning of 2019, totaling 7800, which is the highest number of invitations since 2015.  Based on these lower scores, it appears that Canada is on track with their proposed multi-year immigration program to bring in over 1 million new immigrants by 2021.

The Federal Express Entry systems creates an expedited path to permanent residency for Foreign Skilled Workers. Candidates must first create an online Express Entry Profile based on information regarding skills, work experience, language ability, education and other criteria. Candidates must score a minimum of 67 points and qualify based on one of the Federal Government’s Economic Immigration Programs (Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, and, Canadian Experience Class). Once a profile is submitted, it will be assessed against other candidates based on CRS (points-based system). There are potentially 1200 points that may be earned based on 600 core points (Skills and experience factors; Spouse or common-law partner factors, such as their language skills and education; and, Skills transferability, including education and work experience) and 600 potential additional points (Canadian degrees, diplomas or certificates; a valid Canadian job offer; a nomination from a province or territory; a brother or sister living in Canada who is a citizen or permanent resident; and, strong French language skills).

Highest ranked candidates are chosen from the pool and issued an ITA, with 60 days in which to apply for permanent residence under one of the Federal Economic Immigration programs, or the Express Entry stream of the Provincial Nominee Program (Provinces and Territories provide nominations to candidates who meet their respective labour needs). Most applications for permanent residence will be approved in 3-6 months. While IRCC will assess your CRS points and provide an ITA based on this, there are always ways to improve your score. You may update your Express Entry profile at any time to reflect changes in your skills and other criteria. At the Law Firm of Faryal R. Poonah, we can assess your qualifications and identify areas where you can increase your scores and increase your chance for selection. Please take our online Eligibility Assessment Form today.