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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is still evaluating its Express Entry strategy for 2022, according to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.
The recently published IRCC internal briefing memo sparked speculation about Canada’s Express Entry strategy for the year ahead. The memo seems to discuss the possibility of extending the pause on Express Entry invitations. That would leave FSWP, CEC and FSTP candidates empty-handed until the middle of the year but give IRCC more time to tackle backlogs since there were 120,000 pending Express Entry. The total number of pending immigration applications in December 2021 was 1.8 million.
Because the memo is so heavily censored, readers are still in the dark when it comes to IRCC’s plan about managing Express Entry in the future. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser addressed some of the speculation by stating that IRCC has yet to schedule its next FSWP and CEC draw and is still considering options for the Express Entry draw in 2022. The Minister also explained that IRCC will not cancel and refund already submitted permanent residence applications. That has been the talking point on social media since something similar happened ten years ago.
Minister Fraser noted that IRCC is working on reducing its backlog of applications by stabilizing the application processing process and that the Canadian government has recently allocated an extra $85 million to support this goal.
Occupation-focused Draws in The Future?
The Minister also explained that the IRCC is looking at its possibilities of holding “occupation focused Express Entry draws responding to labour needs” – CIC News reports.
The Canadian government’s Budget 2021 mentioned this approach while stating that Express Entry should be adjusted to “select those candidates who best meet Canada’s labour market needs.”
Previously, IRCC would typically invite candidates with the highest CRS scores to apply for permanent residence, regardless of their program of eligibility. That approach was based on the assumption that those with the highest CRS scores would have the greatest chance of integrating into the Canadian labour market.
Both the Budget and the Minister’s remarks indicate that Express Entry invitations with occupation-based criteria will be more widely used, giving IRCC an additional tool for easing labour shortages.
Express Entry is the main way Canada welcomes economic class immigrants. Candidates that meet the eligibility criteria of the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), or Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) can upload an Express Entry profile onto IRCC’s website. They get a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on their age, education, language skills, and work experience. The IRCC invites candidates to apply for permanent residence on a biweekly basis. Before the pandemic, FSWP candidates were the main recipients of Express Entry Invitations to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.
