Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that federal Express Entry draws will "soon resume and that invitations for candidates to apply for permanent residence will begin in early July." There has not been a federal Express Entry draw since December 2020. IRCC "temporarily paused invitations to apply under the federal high-skilled streams, including the Canadian experience class, federal skilled worker class and federal skilled trades class." Backlogs in the immigration system due to the global Covid pandemic and Canada's labour crisis have led IRCC to resume FSWP And CEC Draws in July.
The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that:
Invitations to apply will resume in early July, and the vast majority of new applications will be processed within the 6-month service standard.
Immigration Backlog
Canada is relaunching the federal Express Entry program and taking other new immigration measures to address Canada’s labour shortage. During the temporary EE pause, the federal high-skilled processing inventory was cut by more than 50%, decreasing from approximately 111,900 people in September 2021 to just 48,000 people by March 2022. IRCC expects the backlog of Express Entry applications will be further reduced by July 2022, and IRCC will return to their 6-month service standard.
Express Entry
According to IRCC, Express Entry is Canada’s flagship application management system for those seeking to immigrate permanently to Canada through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Canadian experience class and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program. Through Express Entry, candidates submit profiles that are ranked, and periodically EE draws are held and applicants with the highest ranking points are invited to apply for permanent residence.
“With the economy growing faster than employers can hire new workers, Canada needs to look at every option so that we have the skills and labour needed to fuel our growth. Immigration will be crucial to easing our labour shortage, and these measures aim to address pressing needs in all sectors across the country, while providing more opportunities for recent graduates and other applicants to build their lives in Canada and continue contributing to our short-term recovery and long-term prosperity."
– The Honourable Sean Fraser,
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Canada's current Immigration Levels Plan calls to welcome over 400,000 newcomers from 2022-2023:
- 2022: 411,000
- 2023: 421,000
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What Is Express Entry?
Canada has a points-based immigration system called Express Entry to evaluate immigration candidates for the Federal Skilled Workers Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class. You must have a score of at least 67 points out of a possible 100 Selection Factor criteria points before you are Invited To Apply for the Express Entry. If an applicant qualifies under the Express Entry Selection Factors and is Invited To Apply, they are added to the Express Entry pool where their qualifications are ranked under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
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