It’s uncertain if IRCC will resume invitations to FSWP candidates in 2021
Express Entry is one of the main ways of welcoming economic class immigrants to Canada. To apply for the Express Entry program, you must be eligible for at least one of the three programs:
Before COVID-19, Federal Skilled Worker Program candidates were the main invitees for permanent residence since they are more likely to have higher CRS scores than those in other programs. The CEC and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) usually get fewer CRS points, since candidates are younger former international students, don’t have a lot of work experience and don’t need to get their foreign education assessed.
In a recent meeting between the IRCC and associations representing Canadian immigration lawyers, IRCC revealed that it hasn’t yet made the decision on when it will resume issuing Express Entry invitations to all candidates. According to IRCC, this issue has been waitlisted until the new federal cabinet settles in. When that happens, the IRCC can present proposals to the new immigration minister, Sean Fraser, for approval.
According to data provided to CIC News by IRCC, there were about 153,000 FSWP candidates in the Express Entry pool on June 29, 2021. The pool size does grow in a way since previous and new candidates upload their profiles in search of a chance to receive a PR invitation. However, their profiles do expire after a year because the language test and educational competency assessments have expiration periods. This presents candidates to new problems: additional costs.
Before the pandemic, IRCC usually considered candidates from all three programs at once. However, once Canada’s travel restrictions were set in motion, IRCC opted for a program-specific draw that only considered PNP and CEC candidates, with a “they are already in the country” logic. Last year, IRCC held all-program draws between September and December – this year, however, there is still no FSWP draw in sight.
Should you enter the Express Entry pool now?
The biggest downside to entering the pool now as an FSWP candidate is the possibility your language test will expire and you will need to spend additional time and money. However, being in the pool can give you a chance to receive a provincial nomination invitation which could give you 600 additional CRS points. Entering the pool does give you a chance to receive a job offer, which can give you another 200 points. That being said, it’s still important to realize that there are still no particular dates set for the IRCC to resume inviting FSWP candidates.
