Work & Settle Abroad | Permanent Resident

Canada Issued 86,023 ITAs In The Year 2017 With Latest Draw

In the latest Express Entry draw, the Immigration Refugees Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has invited a fresh influx of 2750 candidates to apply for permanent residence to the country.

The draw which was held on Dec 20th 2017 had a minimum CRS threshold of 446 a drop of six points from the previous draw on 6th December, which had a minimum CRS of 452.

Latest Express Entry In Line With Canadian Governments Targets For Increased Immigrant Numbers

The latest Express Entry draw was held in a similar fashion to the earlier ones which were held by the IRCC. As in the past draws, the Immigration authority used the tie-break rule.

According to the tie-break rule all candidates who applied for Express Entry before a pre-specified date and time, which was set at 2nd Oct 2017, at 14:56 UTC and obtained a comprehensive ranking score of 446 or above, would receive an Invitation to Apply from the government of Canada.

This draw which was the 30th Express Entry draw taking place this year brought the final count of ITAs issued over the year 2017 to 86,023. Year 2017 represents a phenomenal rise in the number of ITAs issued, with more than 50%of total ITAs issued since the inception of the Express Entry program being issued this year alone.

[Read More: Express Entry: Canada Holds 2 Major Draws]

Interest In Immigration To Canada Grows As USA Policies On H-1B Get More Restrictive

The increased influx of immigrants to Canada is the direct result of its Southern neighbors increasingly restrictive policies with respect to immigrants in the skilled category.

The H-1B visa has been the subject of much debate and controversy in the recent past, especially since the inauguration of the new President, Donald Trump.

The President of United States and his administration have clearly demonstrated their interest in reducing the number of immigrants into the country. A spur of orders and new bills introduced in the US congress have seen a drop in the number of applications for Immigration to USA.

This is a case of what is being seen as one countrys loss is another countrys gain. The drop in immigration to USA has meant that Canada is seeing an increase in number of applicants. In contrast to USA, the Canadian Government under the leadership of Justin Trudeau has left no stone unturned in rolling out the red carpet for immigrants to Canada.

A number of measures have been rolled out by the Canadian Government and IRCC to increase the number of immigrants being admitted into the country. The ease of processing immigration to Canada has caused many immigrants in the USA, who are in the long waiting lines for Green Card to give up on their American dream and opt to apply for PR in Canada instead.

Multinational Companies too are showing an increased interest in opening up new branches in Canada so that they can attract skilled foreign immigrants unhindered. This is a move that has caused many to wonder if the new Silicon Valley will be located in Canada.

[Read More: Manitoba PNP Latest Draw]

Canada Expected To Issue Many More ITAs

The draw on Wednesday was preceded by four consecutive Express Entry draws in the month of November all of which were held in the first three weeks of the month.

On the 1st of November the Canadian Government announced its long term plans for bringing in more immigrants to Canada. According to the plan, the IRCC aimed to increase the number of immigrants by 20 percent over the next 2 years.

Since the announcement by the immigration authority, six draws were held in which a total of 11,045 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) had been issued to immigrants. The higher targets set by the IRCC for the year 2018 will likely see the immigration authority conducting bigger draws are possibly the ones which were more frequent. The Express Entry draws in 2018 will also likely see a reduction in the minimum CRS threshold.

To know more about Express Entry to Canada guidance for visa process and expert advice for immigration to Canada on fast track through Provincial Nominee Program, or the entrepreneurship program, get in touch with Global Tree at Begumpet, Hyderabad, the most trusted immigration consultants with over 14+ across India. Log on to our website to find the nearest branch and book a slot for consultation now.