Express Entry Canada in 2021: Is there hope?
Express Entry is by far the most popular immigration system in Canada. As a fully online process, Express Entry encourages hundreds of thousands of people to apply. However, what is your chances in 2021? The following article explains Express Entry Canada in 2021.
What is the Express Entry system?
Before discussing Express Entry Canada in 2021, let’s introduce this system. IRCC announced Express Entry (EE) in 2014 and rolled it out in 2015. Interestingly, Express Entry is not a single immigration option. However, it is an online system that covers three major immigration options:
- Federal Skilled Worker Class (FWSC),
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and
- Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)
If you are not familiar with these options, please click the links and read the relevant articles. Regardless, you may find the following articles useful.
- Express Entry Immigration to Canada
- Minimum Requirements for Express Entry Canada
- Minimum Language Requirements for Express Entry
- Express Entry Points and CRS Calculator
What did happen to Express Entry in 2020?
It’s a good idea to discuss the events in 2020 before discussing Express Entry Canada in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the operation of many overseas Canadian visa offices in 2020. Consequently, IRCC decided to focus on getting CEC applicants only for a while. Of course, the decision was to focus on inland applications. However, they eventually broke the spell and started accepting all applicants. Nonetheless, we saw a lot of anomalies in the selection of Express Entry applicants in 2020. Eventually, everything went back to normal in mid-summer.
The government also decided to offer more points to Francophone and bilingual applicants. They published the decision in the last week of October. Consequently, they skipped one Express Entry draw. Also, the CRS structure changed due to this policy. Regardless, the last few weeks of 2020 were phenomenal, and IRCC invited thousands of Express Entry applicants.
What about Express Entry Canada in 2021?
According to the Minister’s report to the Parliament, Canada accepted 90,242 Federal Skilled worker immigrants in 2019. Of course, this figure give-or-take matches the Express Entry statistics. Unfortunately, we don’t have access to statistics in 2020. However, I expect a significant drop because of the pandemic. Regardless, the government intends to accept 113,750 immigrants under the Express Entry system in 2021. Of course, this means IRCC will accept 26% more Express Entry immigrants in 2021 compared to 2019. Needless to say, the year to year increase will be even larger (i.e. 2021 to 2020).
Considering these changes, we could expect a drop in the CRS score. As I am writing this post, the lowest CRS to receive an ITA was 468. However, we expect even lower scores in 2021. Let’s keep our fingers crossed; 2021 is the year for Express Entry Canada.
NOTE: Despite the name, Express Entry is not a “fast and furious” immigration method to Canada. Beware of scammers!
Let us help you with Express Entry Canada 2021!
If you believe you meet the minimum requirements for Express Entry, then fill out our assessment form. Of course, you could alternatively book an appointment with me or fill out the following contact form. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
Of course, you may click here to explore other options.
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Al Parsai, MA, DTM, RCIC
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
Ashton College Instructor – Immigration Consulting
Author – 88 Tips on Immigration to Canada
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