PNP candidates in the Express Entry pool needed a CRS score of at least 751 in order to receive an invitation.

Canada invited 463 provincial nominees in the Express Entry pool to apply for permanent residence on August 18.

In order to receive an invitation, candidates needed a score of at least 751 with a nomination from an Express Entry-linked Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). It is normal for PNP draws to have high score cutoffs because the provincial nomination itself is worth 600 points. In the previous PNP draw, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited candidates with scores of at least 760.

Candidates with the minimum score were only invited if they submitted their profiles before April 13th, 2021 at 16:29:29 UTC. IRCC always publishes a cutoff time, whether or not there was an actual tie.

16 PNP draws in 2021

So far in 2021, IRCC has only been drawing two types of candidates from the Express Entry pool: PNP and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

The reason is pandemic-related. Express Entry candidates who are eligible for the PNP or CEC are highly likely to be in Canada already. PNP candidates have demonstrated to a province that they will succeed in the Canadian labour market. The function of the PNP is to tune in on where there are gaps in the workforce. The programs that future immigrants apply to at the provincial level were curated to fix those gaps. When immigrants get nominated for them, it means they fill a need in the regional labour market. Federal programs cannot fill regional needs in the same way.

All this to say, it is important for the federal government to keep working with the provinces to support their immigration goals. Now that approved permanent residents are exempt from travel restrictions, PNP applicants abroad can complete their landing in Canada and become permanent residents.

Express Entry invitations almost double 2020 levels

The number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued by IRCC has almost doubled compared to the same time last year. With more invitations comes a higher chance that IRCC will admit its target of 108,500 newcomers through the Express Entry system in 2021. So far this year, Canada has issued 102,779 invitations through the Express Entry system.

The minimum score requirements have been up and down due to the nature of CEC- and PNP-only draws. CEC draws typically have lower cutoffs because the draws are concentrated in the one group of applicants. They are not competing with others in the Federal Skilled Worker Program, for example. So, with bigger draw sizes, IRCC can invite more candidates, thus bringing the score down.

PNP candidates automatically get 600 points with their provincial nomination, so PNP draws will always be higher than any other type of Express Entry draw.