Express Entry draw #173: January 20, 2021
Canada continues to conduct program-specific Express Entry round of invitations.
Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 374 candidates who previously received a nomination from an Express Entry-aligned Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to apply for Canadian permanent residency in its third Express Entry draw of the year on January 20.
The draw had a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) threshold of 741 – a significant reduction as compared with the last PNP-specific draw that took place on January 6 and had the cut-off of 813.
The IRCC applied a tie break in this draw and the time stamp used was September 5, 2020 at 19:39:04 UTC. That means all PNP candidates with a CRS score of and above 741 who had submitted their profiles in the Express Entry pool before this date & time, received Invitations To apply (ITAs) in this draw.
The Express Entry system is Canada’s primary source of skilled foreign workers. It manages the profiles of candidates under three Federal High Skilled economic class immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class.
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is the second most popular Canadian immigration program after Express Entry. Most of Canada’s provinces and territories have their own PNP streams (aligned with Federal Express Entry System and not aligned with Express Entry) that allow them to welcome foreign skilled professionals/workers who can help address their local labour market needs.
Candidates, who meet the selection criteria of an Express Entry-aligned PNP stream and successfully receive a provincial nomination invitation, can obtain additional 600 points toward their CRS Scores. This effectively guarantees them an ITA in subsequent Express Entry Draw.
Canada held its first two program-specific Express Entry draws of 2021 on January 6 and January 7. However, in coming weeks IRCC can conduct all-program round of invitations to enable FSWP and FSTP candidates to also obtain ITAs for permanent residency.
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