November 16, 2016- Today the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 2,427 candidates to apply for Permanent Residence in Canada through Express Entry. This is the largest number of Invitations to Apply issued since the system's inception and 15% increase from the previous round on November 2, 2016. The lowest qualifying score decreased slightly to 470 points from 472 in the last round, which has allowed for more candidates to be accepted. This is the last draw before the changes are implemented to the existing point distribution and timelines for all Express Entry applications. The changes will come into effect on November 19, 2016. The changes will particularly affect certain Canadian work permit-holders and graduates of Canadian post-secondary institutions.
Highlights of the changes include:
- Additional points for graduates of some post-secondary programs in Canada;
- Broadening the definition of an Offer of Employment to include certain workers on LMIA-exempt employer specific work permits who have accumulated at least one year of full-time experience with their employer;
- Reducing the points awarded for holding a Labour Market Impact Assessment with an Offer of Employment;
- Differentiating between Executive level workers and other high-skilled workers in the point's distribution for Offers of Employment;
- Allowing 90 days for the applicant to submit their supporting documents after they receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence, up from 60 days.
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