IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Canada conducted its 27th Express Entry draw of the year Wednesday, issuing 2,000 invitations to apply for permanent residency. The lowest qualifying score was 458.

What does the change mean? The number of invitations was lower than in most draws this year, while the qualifying score of 458 was higher. On the whole, however, Canada continues to accept a high number of individuals for permanent residency. Wednesday’s draw was the first that was conducted under Canada’s new tie-breaking rule, where candidates with the same Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score will be ranked by the order in which their profiles were submitted.

*PNP nominees only **Federal Skilled Trades Program applicants only.

BAL Analysis: The Canadian government continues to issue a high number of invitations for permanent residency. Almost 78,000 invitations have been issued so far this year, outpacing the number that were issued in all of 2016 and 2015 combined. The number of invitations issued in Wednesday’s draw was lower than in most draws this year, but it was conducted only a week after officials conducted draws specifically targeting applicants in the Provincial Nominee and Federal Skilled Trades programs.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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