published on 7 July 2022 @ 10:19 am · COMMENT

After a 2 ½ Year Pause, Immigration to Canada Resumes for Foreign Applicants (under the Federal Skilled Worker Category)

We are pleased to announce that overseas immigration applicants are now eligible for selection for immigration to Canada.  On July 6, 2022, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence. Invitations were issued to candidates who qualify for selection under all Express Entry programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker Class; Canadian Experience Class; Federal Skilled Trades Class; and Provincial Nominee Class. This is the first all-program draw held under the Express Entry system since December 23, 2020.

Today’s draw was relatively small in comparison to prior all program draws, inviting only 1,500 candidates to apply. The minimum score selected was 557.

Prior to today’s draw, intake under the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, and Canadian Experience Class programs had been temporary paused as IRCC processed a backlog of applications. In April 2022, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration announced that as a result of the pause, the backlog in processing inventory has been reduced significantly, and processing of new applications is expected to return to the average six (6) month timeline in place prior to the covid-19 pandemic.

As a result of the pause on intake and the relatively small number of candidates invited, the cut off score of 557 in today’s draw is one of the highest we have seen in recent years. However, we expect the minimum score required for selection to decrease substantially over the course of the next year as draws resume on a regular basis.

If you wish to apply for immigration to Canada, please contact us for guidance on the process and how to maximize your score.  Immigration to Canada has never been as difficult as it is now, even though we are one of the most facilitative countries in the world. Immigration strategy is key to success.

filed under: IMMIGRATIONPERMANENT RESIDENCE