Canada reveals promising immigration performance in mid 2020

Canada immigration has shown exemplary performance in the first half of 2020. Every method of immigration draw has been exercised and a commendable number of beneficiaries have been created.

In the first half of this year, Canada conducted the smallest and the largest Express Entry draws ever. This had an influence from the COVID-19 pandemic’s spread that put world nations on alert.

The biggest Express Entry draw conducted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 4,900 candidates in one draw. This immigration Canada draw happened on February 19, 2020.

Then, on March 12, an announcement was made by Marco Mendicino, the new immigration minister, that Canada will bring in more than 1 million immigrants by 2022. Many of these immigrants will find their way to Canada via Express Entry.

It was on March 18, that Canada imposed border closure and restrictions on travel to fight rising COVID-19 infections. This was the most challenging situation faced by Canada immigration.

But a resilient Canada kept on with its tasks for immigration, focused on achieving its immigration goals. This was mainly because immigration was the most important aspect of the economic recovery of Canada.

Certain drastic changes were implemented in immigration. The all-program draws that used to be conducted once every 2 weeks, began to be conducted within days or even hours. The draws involved candidates from the streams of:

• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
• Foreign Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)

These draws would aim for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in one draw and CEC candidates in another.

Till now, 21 such draws have been held which is almost double of what had happened in 2019 in the same time period.

Also, this year till now, 49,900 Invitations to Apply (ITA) have been issued this year. Last year, this number was 41,800 in the first half of the year.

Considering PNP draws, the lowest Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirement was 692 this year. This draw was conducted on April 29, 2020.

The smallest Express Entry draw to ever be conducted was held on April 15, 2020. It invited 118 candidates. The same draw had the largest CRS cutoff score of 2020, 808.

There has been much happening with Express Entry-linked PNP draws too. Alberta held 11 Alberta Express Entry Stream draws. Of these, 6 were conducted after March 18, when the restrictions were imposed.

British Columbia still conducts weekly draws even while being plagued by closure of businesses leading to exclusion of certain job categories from the draws. The selected candidates came both from Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC categories.

Manitoba had its first PNP draw this year on January 2. The total number of draws this year till now comes to 12. 7 of these were held after the border closures due to COVID-19.

Nova Scotia held its first PNP draw on January 2. This one invited candidates with proficiency in French and English. The second draw aimed at candidates with nursing experience.

Ontario has conducted 8 draws participating Express Entry candidates. Most of these draws were held when border restrictions were in force. The province conducted 2 Express Entry draws and 2 Tech Pilot draws. There were also invitation rounds for candidates eligible for Express Entry Skilled Trades and French-Speaking Skilled Worker streams.

Prince Edward Island (PEI) conducted Express Entry draws that targeted Express Entry candidates who were workers in essential services such as trucking and healthcare.

Saskatchewan held 5 Express Entry-linked draws so far in 2020. The province has also given flexibility for applicants regarding submitting completed applications. This is considering the disruptions caused by COVID-19.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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