Canada invited 775 Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates to apply for permanent residence in the latest Express Entry draw, held on November 10.

The latest round of invitations was the 22nd of the year to focus on provincially nominated candidates. 

The PNP allows Canadian provinces and territories to nominate candidates who have the skills, education and work experience to contribute to local economies. Each province and territory has its own "streams" that are tailored to the needs of the province. Several of these PNP streams are ed with the federal Express Entry system, and candidates who receive a provincial nomination automatically earn an additional 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score points.

Today's invited candidates needed to have a minimum CRS score of 685. This score is the second-lowest cut-off since Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) started holding PNP-only draws in March 2020. 

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Express Entry draws have been primarily program-specific, focusing on PNP and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates because they are the most likely to be in the country. Candidates in the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and Federal Skilled Trades Class (FST) programs have not been drawn from the Express Entry pool since the beginning of 2021.

This pause in all-program draws has been associated with the fact that Canada implemented travel restrictions and special COVID-19 measures, which prevented immigrants from abroad from obtaining permanent residency. In recent months, Canada's COVID-19 measures have been phased out.

While this is an unusual year for Express Entry, Canada is still on track to meet its ambitious goal of welcoming over 400,000 newcomers this year. Today's draw brought the total number of Express Entry ITAs issued in 2021 to 112,040.

What is Express Entry?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is Canada's federal immigration department. It uses the Express Entry system to manage permanent residence applications through Canada’s three main economic-class immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Candidates who enter the Express Entry pool are given a score according to the CRS. This score is based on many factors such as your age, work experience, education and language ability.

Those who get an invitation to apply from IRCC, have to submit a complete application in order to received permanent residency. 

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