Canada has welcomed the first few successful applicants for Canadian immigration through the Express Entry immigration selection system, which came into operation on January 1, 2015.

CIC announced in a press release that among the first three applicants to receive permanent resident status through the Express Entry system were an Irish citizen and two Chinese citizens, all of whom are presently working in skilled positions in Ontario.

The first draw from the Express Entry pool, which Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) performed on January 31, issued 779 invitations to apply for permanent residence. There have been five further draws since that date. Though CIC has stated most complete electronic applications under Express Entry will be processed in six months or less, it is apparent that a number of applicants who submitted complete applications soon after being issued an invitation to apply are receiving permanent resident status within a few weeks. At this stage, 6,851 Express Entry candidates have received an invitation to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

Click here to learn more about Express Entry.

Click here for information on draws from the Express Entry pool that have taken place so far.