INTRODUCTION
January was a very active month for Canada Immigration. GLPO provided updates via Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram on numerous Canadian Immigration matters including:
1) Update on Express Entry Draw held on January 21, 2021 for Canadian Experience Class;
2) VACs in India are now open for Canada Work Permit Applications;
3) Update on Express Entry Draw held on January 20, 2021 for PNP Candidates;
4) International Students Unable to meet Canadian Work Experience Requirement Get Another Chance;
5) Update on Express Entry Draw held on January 7, 2021 for CEC candidates;
6) Canada Express Entry: First Draw of 2021; and
7) PNP Draw updates for January 2021
We at GLPO post regular updates on our Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram handles. Additionally, we also periodically send out GLPO Newsletters when the subject matter is extensive and relevant for a detailed analysis. Presented below is a consolidated summary of updates posted on GLPO’s Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram handles for January 2021.
UPDATE ON EXPRESS ENTRY DRAW HELD ON JANUARY 21, 2021 FOR CANADIAN EXPERIENCE CLASS
Canada held its second Express Entry draw held on January 21, 2021, issued 4,626 invitations to Candidates of Canadian Experience Class with a CRS requirement of 454. The CRS Requirement fell 7 pointers lower from the previous CEC specific draw held on January 7, 2021. IRCC has been effectively managing the skilled worker applications well since 2015.
PNP and CEC specific draws and the Express Entry candidates are more relied upon by IRCC to achieve their immigration targets for 2021. FSWP and FSTP candidates will also be considered for Express Entry draws in 2021.
VACS IN INDIA ARE NOW OPEN FOR CANADA WORK PERMIT APPLICATIONS
Visa Application Centers (VACs) in India will now start processing Biometrics for Canada Work Permit Applications. Applicants may now contact Indian-based VACs for their appointments with the Biometrics Instruction Letter (BIL) issued by Canadian Immigration authorities. Details about VAC offices can be found at https://visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/can/covid-19-updates.
VACs perform certain functions in furtherance of immigration processing, such as collection of biometric information. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, most VACs around the world had closed down stalling several valid Immigration applications. Over time, some VACs around the world started reopening and in India they have re-opened with limited capacity and for certain Visa application types since November 2020.
UPDATE ON EXPRESS ENTRY DRAW HELD ON JANUARY 20, 2021 FOR PNP CANDIDATES
Canada held its third Express Entry draw on January 20, 2021 and invited 374 Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates with a minimum score of 741. The candidates are expected to have at least 141 CRS points for their Human Capital Characteristics and 600 points will be awarded through Provincial Nomination. This draw saw more invitations been issued and reduced the CRS cut-off requirement compared to the last PNP only draw held on January 6 which had CRS cut off score of 813. IRCC has issued 5,374 ITAs to date which is more than the number issued at same time in 2020 and it is said to increase with CEC only draw to be held later this week.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS UNABLE TO MEET CANADIAN WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT GET ANOTHER CHANCE
On January 8, 2021 Canada introduced a new policy that gives international students affected by COVID-19 another chance to gain the work experience they need to be eligible for permanent residence. This policy will allow former international students with an expired or expiring Post-Graduate work permit (PGWP) to apply for a new open work permit. This policy aims to provide PGWP holders with more time to obtain the work experience they need to be eligible to apply for Canada Permanent Residence. The Canadian Government has introduced this policy to help PGWP holders who lost their jobs or were otherwise affected due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The new open work permits have a validity of 18 months. Unlike Closed work permits, open work permits allow foreign nationals to work for any employer of their choice. Applications are open from January 27 to July 27, 2021. IRCC estimates that 52,000 international graduates could benefit due to this policy.
UPDATE ON EXPRESS ENTRY DRAW HELD ON JANUARY 7, 2021 FOR CEC CANDIDATES
On January 7, 2021 Canada held an Express Entry draw, in which invitations were issued to 4,750 Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates with a CRS score requirement of 461. Results of the draw were released on January 8. Unlike all-program invitation rounds which relies on the Express Entry pool with higher CRS cut-off scores requirement, program-specific draws like CEC, targets candidates with lower cut-off scores given they involve a smaller pool of candidates.
The January 7 draw saw the tie-break rule implemented for September 12, 2020 at 20:46:32 UTC. This means that candidates with a CRS score of 461 were only invited if their profile was submitted before this date and time. This draw brings the total number of invitations issued in 2021 so far to 5,000.
CANADA EXPRESS ENTRY: FIRST DRAW OF 2021
On January 6, the IRCC (Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada) issued invitations to 250 Express Entry (EE) candidates who have provincial nominations, with a minimum score of 813. Candidates who receive nominations from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) aligned with EE automatically get 600 points added to their overall score, which is why the score requirement is high compared to other rounds of invitation. The invited candidates can now officially apply to become Canadian permanent residents.
PNP DRAW UPDATES FOR JANUARY 2021
Manitoba invited 188 immigration candidates on December 30, 2020 and 272 candidates on January 14, 2021.
The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) invited 385 candidates from the International Skilled Worker category through two subcategories: Express Entry, and Occupations In-Demand. Out of a total of 385 candidates, 148 were invited through the Express Entry sub-category, and 237 invitations went to Occupations In-Demand candidates. Candidates needed an EOI score of at least 71 in order to be invited.
Alberta invited eligible candidates with Express Entry profiles to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence in the province’s latest Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw on January 8, 2021. The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) issued 50 invitations to candidates with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) requirement of at least 406.
Nova Scotia invited immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence through its Labor Market Priorities Stream on January 19. The Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) did not disclose how many invitations were issued in the draw.
British Columbia (BC) invited 195 immigration candidates trough a provincial nominee program draw held on January 19, 2021. The minimum scores for this draw ranged between 80 and 106 points.
Saskatchewan held a major selection round on January 21, 2021, inviting immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence. A total of 502 invitations were sent out to immigration candidates who had work experience in select occupations. A total of 189 were invited through the Express Entry sub-category, and 313 invitations went to Occupations In-Demand candidates. Saskatchewan invited candidates who had work experience in one of 79 occupations.
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