Express Entry reforms in the first quarter of the following year by IRCC.

Based on labour market goals, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) are planning to start holding Express Entry draws for candidates in the first quarter of 2023. In addition, IRCC said to CIC News in an email that the Department is planning to consult a wide range of stakeholders to implement new categories in Express Entry and is preparing for technical implementation as required by the legislation in the first quarter of 2023.
Based on criteria that match regional economic requirements, the immigration minister can now invite Express Entry candidates with the help of the recently passed Bill C-19. Instead of the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, Express Entry invitation rounds will now be on hold by IRCC based on the candidate’s language, educational qualification, or occupation.

The immigration minister must report to the parliament annually about the details and economic goals. In addition, he must engage in an open public consultation process according to the new legislation.

Change in Express Entry

In a recent CIC News interview, Sean Fraser, the immigration minister for Canada, explained that without the changes in the Express Entry system, IRCC should not tailor Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for meeting in-demand qualifications or skills.
Fraser stated that it is not feasible to bring in more people that do not rightly match the requirements of a particular sector. In addition, it will not fit the Canadian economy according to the existing Express Entry system.
Throughout the pandemic, we saw that IRCC was able to invite as many numbers of candidates for many programs as it wanted. One prominent example was February 13, 2021, when every Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidate in the pool, which was more than 27,000 invitations, was invited by Canada.

Amid COVID-19 travel restrictions, IRCC could change its strategy for inviting the Express Entry candidates based on their eligible programs with the help of the legislation at that time. Initially, IRCC targeted the Express Entry candidates eligible for CEC as they most likely reside in Canada. These candidates who held nominations from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) were not subjected to travel restrictions.

Only after the authorities approved Bill C-19 did IRCC target all the Express Entry candidates based on a candidate’s language proficiency, educational qualification, or occupation. The system does not have much of a specific mechanism in place, even though PNPs have more precise criteria that enable them to invite eligible Express Entry candidates. For getting a PNP and supporting the need of a particular region, a separate application procedure with a provincial or territorial authority was to be completed by the PNP candidates.

Previously Fraser said to CIC News that the main goal is to make newcomers successful in their respective communities where they will be residing.

Fraser said that there would be a tremendous increase in the retention rates since people would know they have opportunities, and that was the basis of their invitation to apply.

The immigration minister also accepted the need for a straightforward selection process. The bill was previously criticized, saying that it could enable special interest groups to lobby the government in inviting a particular type of candidate for the Express Entry. It is one of the main reasons why the amendment was made. The Minister must participate in public consultation procedures with the stakeholders and get the correct information about how well the draws can be conducted to support an economic goal.

The All-Program Draw Continues

After December 2020, IRCC held its first all-program draw on July 6, which means candidates are invited regardless of the Express Entry program eligible for them. The minimum CRS score was 557, and almost 1,500 candidates got invited for the Express Entry draw.