Express Entry invitations remain high in third draw in last 15 days

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Canada has conducted its 10th Express Entry draw of the year, issuing 3,665 invitations to apply for permanent residency. The lowest qualifying score was 415.

What does the change mean? The number of invitations issued dipped slightly when compared with the past four draws, but still remained up significantly compared with draws in 2015 and 2016. The minimum qualifying score of 415 was the lowest qualifying score to date, indicating that a wide pool of candidates continues to be accepted.

Background: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada made significant changes to the Comprehensive Ranking System in November. The changes benefit candidates with a valid job offer that is not supported by a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment, provided the employee has worked for the employer for a year and the job is in NOC 0, A or B occupations. The new scoring system also benefits candidates who have completed post-secondary education in Canada. Additional changes to the scoring system are set to go into effect in June, and they should help attract Francophone immigrants and those with siblings in Canada.

There have been ten draws so far this year:

BAL Analysis: Wednesday’s draw was the third draw in the past 15 days after draws had been conducted roughly every two weeks for most of 2016 and 2017. The draw continues the trend of high numbers of invitations and low minimum qualifying scores since the new scoring system was introduced.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Canada. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

Copyright © 2017 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.