Canada is on a mission to welcome a record-breaking number of immigrants in 2021. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) ambitious goal is set to see 401,000 new immigrants making the True North their permanent home this year.
The IRCC invited 3,000 more Express Entry candidates to apply for their permanent residency on August 5 through the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program. So far, 143,000 people have achieved permanent residency in Canada through all available immigration programs. 102,316 of those were Express Entry candidates.
The invited CEC candidates will have scored at least 404 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points. They had until 05:39 a.m. UTC on August 3 to submit their profiles to meet the tie-break rule and secure their inclusion in the draw. It’s worth noting the tie-break rule is simply an IRCC admin procedure and doesn’t necessarily indicate there was a tie.
The recent CEC draw requirement is up 37 points from the previous draw’s 357, which matched the second-lowest pass mark for such a draw in 2021. The record holder for the lowest remains the draw of February 13, in which all CEC-ready candidates with just 75 points were invited to officially apply for their permanent Canadian residency.
Why is IRCC focussing exclusively on CEC and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Express Entry draws? Canada’s federal government had to place restrictions and temporary bans on international travel to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. With this affecting immigration, the IRCC had to adapt while working to meet its target for 2021, which will require it to welcome about 43,000 immigrants every month.
