Canada – Great News For Express Entry Candidates

2020 started off tough for Express Entry hopefuls as Coronavirus travel restrictions forced IRCC to restrict the pool of candidates to only those already present in Canada, and thereby cutting off a large number of highly qualified individuals. For a number of months, only candidates in the Canadian Experience Class or those with Provincial Nominations were eligible for the draw. The consequences of this unprecedented move were far reaching, creating a ripple effect in the Canadian economy which struggled with shortages of qualified labour resulting from these restrictions.

As restrictions began to relax, however, the outlook changed drastically. In the final two months of 2020, IRCC has reopened the pool to individuals qualifying through Foreign Skilled Worker and Foreign Skilled Trades categories. Additionally, in an effort to compensate for the labour shortages, an unprecedented number of invitations was issued (5000 individuals were issued Invitations to Apply