Express Entry – what’s new?
CIC conducted their 12th draw from the candidate pool on July 10. They issued 1,516 invitations to apply for permanent residence in Canada to candidates with a score or 463 or more. The required score has decreased for the third time in a row.
Many candidates are becoming anxious about waiting in the pool, hoping that they will receive a coveted Invitation to Apply. I asked a very senior immigration lawyer about this and he commented to me that in his opinion CIC has faced technical problems in the implementation of the Express Entry file management system. This has slowed implementation of the Express Entry file management system.
It was reported at a recent Canadian Bar Association meeting that only about half the candidates invited to apply actually do apply. This must be worrying for CIC and they need to start to get an idea of the ratio between the number of candidates who receive an Invitation to Apply and the number of visas issued, along with the timing of both.
In order for Canada to meet their immigration targets for 2015, CIC will need to substantially increase the number of candidates drawn and will have to decrease the score required in order to meet their own requirements.
It seems that the first six to twelve months under Express Entry is a time to test the system and see how it works technically. It is a time to see if employers will get on board with the program and to get the job bank section of the process underway. It is also a time for the provinces to get their operations with Express Entry underway.
What can we hope for in the coming months? We can hope for huge numbers of invitations to apply to be issued in starting this autumn. Fingers crossed! What can candidates do to improve their scores? Re-take your language proficiency test to improve your score, gain additional work experience, and have your spouse’s educational credentials assessed for extra points.
If you need more information or want to get your profile started, contact us. If you aren’t quite ready to get going with your profile, ask about our Client Preparedness Program.