Before the travel restrictions due to COVID-19 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) was considering all the eligible candidates in the express entry draw. But once the travel restrictions were imposed, there was a huge impact on the Federal Skilled Workers. This is because the IRCC then started holding only PNP- and CEC-specific draws.
But finally, there is some good news for the FSW. Last week the IRCC conducted its first all programme express entry draw post the pandemic. Last year FSWP accounted for 45% of all the ITA’s that were issued by the Canadian authorities. This was followed by CEC which was 36%, then came PNP at 18% and finally FSTP at 1%.
IRCC was holding programme specific draws as they thought that since the CEC and PNP candidates were mostly already in Canada they were less likely to get impacted by the challenges of the pandemic during the application process.
But there were many problems in this way of thinking of IRCC. First of all, it was found that CEC candidates living overseas were getting ITA since March. Whereas some express entry candidates who were already in Canada were not even being considered.
Secondly, the processing standard for a successful express entry candidate is around 6 months. This time should be enough in most cases to overcome the obstacles due to the pandemic and submit the completed application. Also, the IRCC is now willing to accommodate eligible candidates who are facing challenges due to the pandemic.
Also, the Express entry programme aims to get the best candidates who will contribute to the economic development of Canada. The IRCC thus ignored some of the best candidates during the past few months.
One fact that we need to keep in mind here is that the bar of FSW candidates is much higher as compared to the CEC candidates.
Last week’s express entry draw calls for a celebration. The express entry candidates can heave a sigh of relief. Of course, some of the candidates may have lost some valuable points in the last few months. For example, a candidate may have grown older and lost some important points. Secondly, the draw is also hinting that we are moving towards normalcy.
In these days of COVID-19 pandemic, there is nothing that we can predict. We have no idea what the future holds for us. But the express entry draw indicates that things will get better in the near future.
Skilled workers who want to apply for the express entry programme need to connect with the Best Immigration consultants right away. In Delhi, you can connect with IRA immigration. Their dedicated team of consultants will give the best guidance to apply for the express entry programme of Canada during the pandemic. For complete information about the programme for Federal Skilled Workers contact IRA immigration on priority. With last week’s draw, you can now expect that the IRCC will hold draws on a regular basis. So, do not waste any more time. Act now!