November 1 Express Entry Draws Invite Provincial Nominee and Federal Skills Trade Candidates

the CanadaVisa Team - 01 November, 2017

The most recent Federal Express Entry draws, which took place on November 1, invited 795 candidates from the Express Entry pool to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

This is the second time in 2017 where candidates from only two groups, the Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) and candidates with an 'Enhanced' Provincial Nomination, were selected to receive Invitations To Apply (ITAs). Additionally, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced two different program-specific Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) minimum score requirements in these draws. The first draw conducted by IRCC invited 290 candidates with a provincial nomination, and a minimum score of 673, and the second draw, which took place on the same day, invited 505 FSTC candidates with a minimum CRS of 241. 

This is not the first time IRCC holds program-specific draws, as there have been a few previous occasions since the introduction of Express Entry in 2015, where draws exclusively invited candidates from specific programs. For example, earlier this year on May, 26, IRCC conducted two draws to invite a total of 543 candidates under the same categories. Prior to that in 2015, the Canadian government conducted two draws that exclusively invited specific candidates — those in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) on February 20, 2015, and those with a provincial nomination certificate on November 30, 2016. 

Generally, for candidates to receive an ITA in an Express Entry draw, individuals need to meet the eligibility criteria of one of the three immigration programs managed through the Express Entry system — the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC), FSTC, or CEC. Upon entering the pool, candidates are assigned a CRS score based on factors including civil status information, education, work experience, language ability, and other criteria. This score determines their ranking in the pool. During periodic draws, IRCC issues ITAs to the highest-ranking candidates. Those candidates who receive an ITA may submit an application for Canadian permanent resident status.

For more information on draws from the Express Entry pool that have taken place so far, consult this table. For an in-depth analysis of the November 1 draw, please refer to this article on CICNews.com.