The draw for the CEC and FSWP will resume ‘as soon as possible’

Ontario invited 773 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination, reports CIC News. In this Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), eligible candidates who have a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score between 455 and 600 and one-year of work experience, were invited to apply for the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream (HCP).

However, for this draw, only candidates who created their profiles between February 22, 2021, and April 29, 2021, were invited. Individuals who received the invitation have 45 calendar days to submit their application to the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

Ontario’s biggest HCP draw to date was on January 27. A total of 1,032 candidates were invited to apply for Ontario’s Skilled Trades Stream, another Express Entry stream. From those candidates, about 10 skilled refugees were able to apply for this draw, which allowed them to immigrate as a Provincial Nominee.

High-Scoring Candidates Can Now Apply

Since September 2021, there have been no Express Entry draws for anyone but PNP candidates. During the last year, candidates with scores higher than 467 were not invited to apply for a nomination, which led to some candidates purposely trying to reduce their scores in an attempt to get nominated.

Despite failing to provide a firm date, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser recently told business leaders that the draw for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) will resume as soon as possible.

The Minister also said he was hoping to add more flexibility to the Express Entry System. According to CIC News, he is looking to make it possible to use the system to respond to short-term needs. That would include welcoming people to high-demand sectors.

“If you actually look at the immigration levels plan over the next couple of years the balance is shifting back and by year three… a record number of federal skilled workers, including through the Canadian Experience Class, will be welcomed to Canada. By no means do I want to communicate that there will be any kind of abandonment of—what I would argue—is one of the most successful immigration programs anywhere in the world” said Fraser.

According to the new Immigration Levels Plan, Canada plans to welcome 83,500 immigrants through Express Entry and PNP categories this year.