On June 21, 2022, while participating at Collision in Toronto, Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that the Government of Canada will resume all-program Express Entry draws on Wednesday, July 6. When the all-program draws resumes, IRCC stated it would restore the Express Entry service standard to six months.
As the Government decided to resume the Express entry draws, one may assume that IRCC has solved the issue with the long application processing times. Canada paused Express Entry invitations to apply (ITA) for permanent residency applications (FSWP and FSTP) in December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The same happened to CEC draws in September 2021 due to an increased processing backlog.
Will the CEC CRS and FSW cut-off increase in 2022?
When the FSW and CEC drew a pause, the number of aspirants in the Express Entry pool grew significantly. That is why IRCC considers that the FSW and CEC CRS cut-off would likely rise above 500 and stay high for about 6 months.
Nevertheless, the Government of Canada is currently in the process of passing Bill Covid-19. It would give Canada’s immigration minister the authority to select candidates based on groupings rather than the CRS score.
Will all-program draws be welcome?
The return to all-program draws will be welcome for FSWP, FSTP, and CEC candidates alike.
The FSWP was the main path for economic class immigrants to come to Canada. Prior-pandemic, it accounted for some 45 percent of all those invited for permanent residence via Express Entry.
Research by WES (World Education Services) suggests that there remains strong demand for FSWP candidates to go ahead with the Canadian immigration process despite what has happened over the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the resumption of draws to CEC candidates will help those in Canada maintain their legal status to live in the country. When an Express Entry candidate in Canada gets an ITA and then submits their permanent residence application, they have an opportunity to also apply for a bridging open work permit.
Acknowledging this, IRCC also announced in April that it would be offering an open work permit extension to the main team of CEC candidates effective this summer. This team is those who have recently seen or are soon set to see their PGWP (Post-Graduation Work Permit) expire. No comment is available yet on when IRCC will begin to accept open work permit applications for these individuals.
Do you need any help with immigrating to Canada? Contact our immigration specialist at Gunness & Associates. Don’t miss your chance to receive an ITA! Find out if you’re eligible to enter the Express Entry pool today by completing our free online assessment form.
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