How Does Provincial Nominations help Express Entry Candidates get ITAs?
Express Entry candidates who are lucky to receive a nomination from the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) automatically get an additional 600 CRS points to their overall score. That means they can rest easy knowing that they will receive an ITA in a subsequent Express Entry draw.
During the novel covid-19 global pandemic that have literally disrupted the day to day lives of everyone, IRCC have been focused on holding PNP-only draws. This way, candidates needed a PNP to be invited. In the year 2020, the Canadian government also held PNP-only draws and all-program draws towards mid-year, where all invited candidates and applicants had scores above the set CRS cut-off.
Understanding Canada’s Express Entry System
Express Entry is different from an immigration program. It is an online system often used to manage the application for permanent residence from skilled workers. It can also be referred to as an application management system for three top Federal High Skilled economic-class immigration programs. These include Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades Programs (FSTP). Some Express Entry candidates often qualify for one or more of these top programs. A job offer is not a requirement to enter or be selected from the Express Entry pool. The program aims to ensure faster processing and better economic results for permanent residence under federal and other provincial programs.
Once in the Express Entry pool of candidates, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) award point to the candidates depending on particular human capital factors. These include age, language ability in French or English, education, work experience, and more. Candidates with the highest scores are then invited to apply in an Express Entry draw.
Candidates who do not receive an ITA can remain in the candidate pool for 12 months. After 12 months, they are required to create a new online Entry Profile if they continue meeting the relevant criteria for their ideal skilled immigration program.
