Immigration News - Canada Express Entry invitations remain high in latest draw Share this article LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) May 31, 2017 IMPACT – MEDIUM What is the change? Canada has conducted its 15th Express Entry draw of the year, issuing 3,877 invitations to apply for permanent residency. The lowest qualifying score was 413. What does the change mean? The draw followed two smaller draws last week in which a total of 543 invitations to apply were issued to applicants in the Federal Skilled Trades and Provincial Nominee programs. The number of invitations issued in Wednesday’s draw was on par with standard draws conducted so far in 2017, and up significantly compared with draws in 2015 and 2016. The minimum qualifying score of 413 was the lowest qualifying score to date, not counting last week’s draw exclusively for applicants in the Federal Skilled Trades Program. The low minimum score indicates that a wide pool of candidates continues to be accepted. Background: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada made 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 that 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 15 draws so far this year: Date Invitations Minimum Score Jan. 3 2,902 468 Jan. 11 3,334 459 Jan. 25 3,508 453 Feb. 8 3,664 447 Feb. 22 3,611 441 March 1 3,884 434 March 24 3,749 441 April 5 3,753 431 April 12 3,923 423 April 19 3,665 415 May 4 3,796 423 May 17 3,687 415 May 25* 143 775 May 25** 400 199 May 31 3,877 413 *PNP nominees only **Federal Skilled Trades Program applicants only. BAL Analysis: Wednesday’s draw continued the trend of high numbers of invitations and low minimum qualifying scores since the new scoring system was introduced. Canada has issued 47,896 Express Entry invitations so far this year, compared with 33,782 in all of 2016 and 31,063 in 2015. This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. 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.