Most applicants aspiring to immigrate to Canada are generally quick to opt for a program of choice, whether FSW, CEC, PNP or Investment related and Entrepreneurial options.
Of late, while Canada has been seemingly too liberal in releasing ITAs (ITA – Invitation To Apply), most of them have been directed towards people who are either exempt from travel restrictions or are employed in occupations where manpower is direly required to bridge current or projected shortfalls.
This article intends to provide much needed clarity to applicants waiting desperately and perhaps edging towards hopelessness, considering that IRCC has not released an all-program draw in the current year.
Express Entry Draws in 2021
| Program | Total ITAs Issued | No. Of Draws in 2021 | Most Recent CRS Cutoff |
| CEC | 62855 | 8 | 401 |
| PNP | 3620 | 9 | 752 |
| Total | 66475 | 17 |
- As on 17th May 2021, there have been 17 Draws announced by IRCC in 2021. As summarized in the table above, 8 of the draws have been CEC specific, with the most recent draw announced on 13th May 2021. The CRS cutoff was 401 and 4147 ITAs were issued. The latest PNP specific draw was announced just a day earlier, on 12th May with a CRS Score cutoff of 752 where-in 552 ITAs were issued.
- Worth mentioning here is a draw conducted by IRCC on 13th February 2021 for CEC applicants where the CRS cutoff dropped to 75 points and 27332 ITAs were released. This was the lowest ever Cutoff for any Express entry program and the highest ever number of ITAs ever released in a single draw.
So, what does pattern of Express Entry Draws for Immigrating to Canada mean for you?
How FSW Profiles have Changed
Gone are the Golden days of 2017 when a score as low as 415 could get you an invite to apply for PR (Permanent Residence) to Canada under the Federal skilled trades program.
Today, FSWs actually hold true to the name of the program. With CRS Score cutoffs touching as high as 480 and hovering above 465 consistently almost all throughout 2020, FSWs are generally highly educated, with considerable meaningful work experience and a top notch English Language score. Such steeply rising CRS score cutoff indicates that applicants are increasingly younger (since age beyond 29 years reduces CRS scores by 5 points every year).
One or more of the below criteria invariably needs to be satisfied to qualify through an FSW cutoff as indicated by recent trends:
- Have atleast a Masters Degree, Professional Degree or PhD in any field
- Have immediate family in Canada (Siblings / Parents / Spouse / Dependents etc)
- Adequate score in a French Exam in addition to yours IELTS English proficiency score
- Valid Job Offer through LMIA
Federal Skilled Workers (FSW) Draw and Score Predictions
The last All-program draw where FSW applicants were issued ITAs was in December 2020. Up till then, draws had continued with consistent aggression more or less fortnightly, as had been the trend. However, in 2021, no FSW draw has been announced till the date of publishing this article.
While no one can accurately pinpoint to a timeline for the next All-Program draw, IRCC’s immigration targets are a silver lining on the cloud. Canada intends to allow residence to 4 Million immigrants between 2021 and 2023. Hence, though extending invites for Permanent residency to Canadian Experience Classes and Provincial Nomination Program applicants makes sense a huge chunk of these people are exempt from travel restrictions, this is likely a short term measure.
As more and more people are vaccinated, it is likely that Canada’s border restrictions will be eased eventually. It is then that FSW candidates can hope for draws in their favor.
Draw Prediction for Express Entry in 2021
As on 17th May, Canada’s official statistics indicate that 51% of the population has received atleast 1 dose of vaccine. The Government has repeatedly confirmed confidence of being able to vaccinate the major chunk of its population by September 2021. Proportionately before then, perhaps towards the fag end of July, we can be hopeful of good news for FSWs, the Cream of Canada’s Express entry Pool.
Score Prediction
As Canada continues to offer considerably easy immigration and promise of an enviable quality of life, the number of FSWs in the Express Entry pool rises proportionately, as is evident from details furnished by the CIC’s official website. Thus, while the Cutoff scores during the first few all-program draws might set towering benchmarks, it is little reason to lose hope. Since incremental CRS scores often mean added experience or skills- all achieved within a defined age-bracket, CRS scores tend to have resistance bands just like the Stock Market.
Bottom Line : Anyone with a CRS score of 465 has sufficient reason to be hopeful for an ITA!
Keeping Applications Fresh
As most people who have made it to this point in the article are probably aware, Express Entry applications last in the pool for 1 year from date of submission. The last 5 months have not seen an All-program draw. It is likely that most applicants thus have their profiles significantly older. A word of caution would be to such applicants to keep your profiles fresh and live in the pool, updated accordingly to keep scores unchanged or rising upwards where possible through the criteria mentioned above, for a better chance at an early Invite.