News From the Latest Express Entry Draw

The latest Express Entry Draw took place on September 4th and resulted in 3,600 receiving Invitations to Apply (ITA’s) for permanent residence to Canada. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score for this draw was 463.

What is the Express Entry Program?

 

Canada is the second-largest country in the world but they simply do not have a population large enough to supply their labour force with enough skilled workers. To address this issue, they have turned to immigration in the form of the Express Entry Program. Express Entry fast-tracks the visa applications of candidates who possess the necessary skills, education and work experience to fill gaps in the Canadian labour market. A regular application for permanent residence to Canada can take up to 18 months and longer whereas Express Entry could get you to Canada in as little as 6 months.

Because of its accelerated turnaround time, Express Entry is the most popular route of applying for Canadian permanent residence. However, that does not mean that everyone is eligible to apply through this program. The eligibility criteria are subject to change and depend on your specific situation, but there is a general list of criteria that everyone is subject to. These criteria include but are not limited to your level of education, age, skills, occupation, and level of experience in your designated profession, language proficiency in both English and French, as well as your ability to adapt to life in Canada after immigration. These criteria are ranked in the Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS).

Comprehensive Ranking System

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) gives you a CRS score based on how well you fare in each category of the eligibility criteria. Those candidates with the highest scores are the ones who receive an Invitation to Apply(ITA) for permanent residence in Canada. For instance, the latest Express Entry draw candidates who received ITA’s all had a CRS score of 463 or higher. In other words, candidates with a CRS score lower than 463 would not have received an ITA in this draw.

If you have a CRS score which is not high enough to receive an ITA, there are things you can do to improve your score so you have a better chance of receiving an ITA in the next Express Entry Draw. You can retake your language tests and prepare so you get a better score. You can go back to school or better yet, apply to further your education in Canada. In addition, you can also gain some more work experience in your designated profession. The nice thing about the Express Entry profile is that you can log in at any time to update your details which automatically updates your CRS score.

What We Can do to Help

 

Express Entry is one of over 70 channels to apply for permanent residence in Canada. If you do not have access to the correct information, it could prove very difficult to decide which of these options is best suited to you. With the help of our regulated and experienced RCIC consultants at MDC, we can simplify this process for you. Sign up today to start your journey to Canada!