Kareem El-Assal - 27 October, 2020
Canada will announce its new Immigration Levels Plan by Friday. Quebec will also announce their immigration plan for 2021. Thirdly, Canada will announce its latest Express Entry draw results.
It is very likely the newest Express Entry draw will take place on Wednesday October 28. The reason for this is Express Entry draws have happened on Wednesdays for the vast majority of 2020. The last Express Entry draw was tied for the largest ever.
Express Entry is used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to manage the following programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
If a candidate is eligible for any of these programs, they can submit a profile on IRCC's website where they receive a Comprehensive Ranking System score based on their human capital criteria.
The highest scoring candidates get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence during bi-weekly Express Entry draws.
Express Entry draws have been occurring at a record level with IRCC on track to issue over 100,000 invitations this year for the first time since Express Entry was launched in 2015.
The high levels of Express Entry draws are a strong indication Canada will maintain high levels of immigration in 2021 and beyond.
By Friday, IRCC minister Marco Mendicino will announce Canada's Immigration Levels Plan. Prior to the pandemic, Canada targeted 341,000 newcomer arrivals in 2021. Canada will fall short of this target due to the pandemic but the Express Entry draws that have been taking place suggest Canada will stick to a similar immigration target next year.
The Immigration Levels Plan is the most important announcement made by IRCC each year. It informs the public how many immigrants Canada seeks to welcome, and which programs it aims to welcome the immigrants under. Most of Canada's immigrants arrive as skilled workers.
Finally, Quebec will also announce its immigration plan for 2021 this week. Quebec operates its own immigration system and hence it tables its own immigration plan each year which also details the number of immigrants it aims to welcome and what programs it seeks to admit them under. In recent years, Quebec has reduced its immigration target by about 20 per cent as the provincial government aims to better promote labour market and social integration of newcomers. Quebec's lower targets are in contrast to the increasing targets set nationally by IRCC.
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