How can I get an Invitation to Apply under the Express Entry

Express Entry: Rounds of Invitations

After creating an Express Entry Profile, all applicants are entered into the Express Entry Pool and have the potential to receive an Invitation to Apply as a Skilled Immigrant under one of the following streams for Permanent Residence:

• Federal Skilled Worker Class
• Federal Skilled Trades Class
• Canadian Experience Class

Receiving an Invitation to Apply for a particular class under Express Entry is determined by an applicant’s total Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. In theory, one could score 1200 points in the CRS. However, this is not a common occurrence. Many applicants will score in the 400 to 800 point range, which is still viable for receiving an Invitation to Apply.

How can I get CRS Points?

CRS points are scored relative to the information provided by an applicant in his or her initial Express Entry Profile. Naturally, once receiving an Invitation to Apply in a particular class, documentation will need to be provided in order to verify the scores.

CRS points are awarded for:

• Human Capital Factors (maximum of 460 – 500 points)

  • Age

  • Language Proficiency in either English or French

  • Education Level

  • Canadian Work Experience

• Spousal Factors (maximum of 40 points)

  • Education Level

  • Language Proficiency in either English or French

  • Canadian Work Experience

• Transferability Factors (maximum of 100 points)

• Points for Provincial / Territorial Nomination or Offer of Employment (maximum of 600 points)

Rounds of invitations

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) controls how many Express Entry candidates are invited to apply for permanent residence through a system of “rounds of invitations”. These are done at a frequency and in numbers that align to CIC’s processing capacity and annual levels targets. At the time of round of invitation, a candidate’s rank in the Express Entry pool is much more important than the candidate’s total number of CRS points. For example, if CIC issues an ITA to 1000 candidates from the pool, only the top-ranking 1000 candidates will receive an ITA.

A candidate’s rank changes with every round of invitations, as their rank is relative to that of all other candidates in the pool at the time of the round.

Rounds can be general and include all programs subject to Express Entry, or be program-specific (e.g., top‑ranked CEC candidates only). For example:

General Rounds of Invitation

General Round of Invitations would mean that all candidates in the list below would be issued an ITA. If CIC invited 500 candidates to apply, and the following list represented the top 10 candidates in the pool, CIC would invite 5 FSWC, 3 CEC and 2 FSTC candidates, all the way down until the 500^th ranked candidate in the pool is invited, regardless of the program(s) to which they appear eligible.

1. FSWC – 1000 CRS points (has job offer)

2. CEC – 980 (has job offer)

3. FSWC – 878 (has job offer)

4. FSTC – 820 (has job offer)

5. FSTC – 818 (has job offer)

6. CEC – 540

7. CEC – 538

8. FSWC – 532

9. FSWC – 531

10. FSWC – 480

Program Specific Rounds of Invitation

Program Specific Round of Invitation means that only candidates in the list above who are tagged (i.e., found eligible) for a specific program would be issued an ITA. For example, if CIC were to invite the top 500 FSWC candidates, in the example above, only candidates ranked 1, 3, 8, 9, and 10 would be invited, with additional top-ranked FSWC-tagged candidates invited to apply, up to and including the 500^th ranked FSWC candidate in the pool.

Express Entry rounds of invitations are governed through ministerial instructions, which specify the date of the round, the number of candidates to be invited to apply, and whether the round of invitations is general or program-specific. The Ministerial Instructions are published when a round is held, but not before.

After a round of invitations is held, CIC publishes the score of the lowest ranked candidate to be issued an ITA in that round. Candidates who are not issued an ITA can use this information to see where their CRS score stands relative to the lowest score from their round and, therefore, have a general sense of whether they may be invited to apply in future rounds. Candidates who have been issued an ITA but whose circumstances have changed can also use this information to determine if they should decline the ITA or submit an APR.

Should I accept the Invitation to Apply for the Express Entry?

You have to understand your program requirements in order to help you decide whether to accept an Invitation to Apply or to decline it.

The program requirements are determined by your eligibility such as:

• The Federal Skilled Worker Program
• The Federal Skilled Trades programmes
• The Canadian Experience Class

If you are eligible under any one of the above programs

• You will be placed in a pool with other eligible candidates
• Depending on your how you rank among the others in the pool you will get an Invitation to Apply
• If you receive an Invitation to apply the next step is to put in your application for permanent residency

Some factors to be eligible to meet the requirements for Express Entry are:

• The applicant should meet the requirements of any of the above programs
• You will have to create a Job Match account with Job Bank, a database that can help enable you to be matched up in accordance with your skills to an employer looking for your skills
• Any job offer must be supported by a LMIA or Labour Market Impact Assessment

Circumstantial changes in your Personal life

If circumstances have changed in your personal life you may have to re-calculate your scores before applying for a permanent residence. On calculating if your scores are not the same or less than the lowest score in your round of invitation for an Invitation to apply, then you may have to decline the invitation. Some changes that can lower your score would be changes in a valid job offer, your language scores have expired, or you no longer are a candidate for a provincial nominee.

Declining an Invitation to apply

Once you decline an Invitation to Apply and continue to be eligible you will be put back into the Express Entry pool of candidates. You will be considered in the future rounds for an invitation.

Consider the changes in your personal life that caused you to decline your Invitation to Apply. For example if you no longer have a valid job offer consider trying to get another one, this will give you additional points to increase your score, or if you have got married or are in a new common law relationship you will have to update your Express Entry profile. Declining an offer does not have a detrimental effect on you being invited to apply again in the future. Keep in mind new application fees will be required as your fees are not refunded.

What happens if I do not apply?

There is no guarantee that if you reapply, you will be chosen to re-enter the pool. But in case you do not decline the invitation and do not apply within 60 days the invitation willexpire. To re-enter the pool you will have to reapply within the minimum criteria.You will stay in the Express Entry pool for a year, from the date you were accepted. If you were not invited to apply in 12 months your Express entry Profile will expire.

Results of Express Entry Invitation Rounds to Apply for Permanent Residence:

The following table below displays the distribution of those invited across economic immigration programs as well as the top ten occupations, countries of residence and countries of citizenship. During the time the changes of number of invitation increases. Most of the candidate that were invited in the first couple of rounds did have job offers that was supported by LMIA’s. Most of the candidates were employed in Canada and was familiar with the Immigration system. From the months July to December, the minimum CRS score varied between 450 and 489 and the number of invitations issued endured at almost 1,500 per round. Most candidates may be eligible to be invited in more than one program, but those who are eligible for more than one program are invited precedent by the IRCC. The precedent will not affect who is invited as it does not change the ranking, but the exact candidates would be invited under a different program.

Express Entry Processing Times

The processing time standards for applications that are connected to the express entry would be up to six months for 80% of the cases. The processing times usually starts from completion of application up to the final decision made by the immigration officer.

Contact Akrami & Associates

If there is anything that you are unsure of or need assistance with your Express Entry profile, contact us and we will be more than willing to help and ensure that everything is done the right way for you. Immigration is our specialty and we look forward to helping you out with your needs and getting you the outcome that you deserve. Please feel free to call us at 416-477-2545 or call our toll free number at 1-877-820-7121

With Akrami & Associates there is always a way!!