What Can Be Expected from the Upcoming 2021 Express Entry Draws?

3.5 minute read

"The number of immigrants invited through the Express Entry system slowed down in the third quarter of 2021. For the first 2 quarters of 2021, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited record-breaking immigrants."

Written by My Visa Source Team
Published on: Nov 3, 2021

The number of immigrants invited through the Express Entry system slowed down in the third quarter of 2021. For the first 2 quarters of 2021, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited record-breaking immigrants.

How Is the Express Entry Performing in 2021?

The largest Express Entry draw this year was held on September 14, 2021, to invite 2,000 applicants to the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 462. In 2020, the IRCC issued 107,350 invitations to Express Entry candidates. As of the last Express Entry draw, the IRCC has surpassed this number to invite 109,764 Express Entry candidates until now in 2021.

In the last quarter, the IRCC held 12 Express Entry draws for applicants to the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Out of 12, 7 were CEC draws and 5 were PNP draws. Therefore, a majority of CEC candidates were invited this year.

The IRCC has yet to conduct any Express Entry draws for the applicants to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). The only update for these programs this year has been when the IRCC updated the proof of funds required for applicants to these programs.

What Is the IRCC’s Plan for the Third Quarter of 2021?

According to an internal memo of the IRCC, the plan to achieve the Immigration Levels Target of 2021 is to focus on applicants who are already residing in Canada. This memo issued on June 8 was created to seek approval to hold record-breaking draws for June and July to invite 6,000 applicants.

The IRCC expects to meet the Immigration Levels Target by focusing on the CEC applicants as the main source of immigrants. The IRCC has set the target of processing nearly 141,000 CEC applications in 2021. To do this, the IRCC would need to invite 25,000 applicants by the end of July since there is a 4 to 8 months window from invitation to admission. Therefore, people invited after July will have little chance of being admitted by the end of this year.

Why Is the Draw Size and CRS Score Requirement Dropping?

The IRCC was expecting criticism from provinces, territories, and other stakeholders given that they were inviting candidates with low CRS scores. However, the IRCC analyzed Express Entry profiles in the pool on March 1, 2021, and found that those with a CRS score of 350 were more likely to have a college education than those with a CRS score between 380 and 400.

While candidates at the CRS rank of 350 had intermediate language skills, they were more likely to be employed in skilled trade or technical occupations. This indicates that their language proficiency was aligned with the demands of their occupations. Therefore, the IRCC held 2 draws for candidates with a CRS score of 350, first on July 22 and then on July 24, 2021.

The IRCC also anticipated that the draw size would drop to less than 2,500 candidates every draw after July. In August, the IRCC held 2 draws to invite 3,000 applicants while in September, there was only one such draw to invite 2,000 applicants. As the draw size increases, the CRS requirement also increases. The largest Express Entry draw of September 14 had a CRS requirement of 462.

What Is the Plan for the Future?

The IRCC plans to finalize the maximum number of CEC applicants who received their invitations by September 2021. At the time when this memo was released, confirmed permanent residents were still not allowed to travel to Canada to complete their permanent residency landing. However, this restriction was lifted on June 21.

Despite the relaxations of travel restrictions, there is no guarantee that there will be an Express Entry draw for the FSWP applicants by the end of this year. Inviting applicants from overseas amidst this pandemic has proven challenging and the IRCC seems to be sticking to its initial memo of focusing on applicants already residing in Canada.