Canada Invites 3900 Foreigners to Apply for Permanent Residence Through the Express Entry Immigration Program

The Canadian government on Wednesday held a draw of the Express Entry program and issued 3,900 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence.

The Express Entry program allows skilled foreign nationals to enter a draw, and if they meet the minimum required points in the Comprehensive Ranking Systems (CRS) score, are selected in a random draw and given an opportunity to apply for permanent residence.  

The minimum CRS score for the March 4th draw (the fifth of the year) was 471 points. The score is based on factors such as applicant’s work experience, skills, education, and proficiency in either English or French.

Draws for the Express Entry program are normally held every two weeks, and those selected in the draw and issued ITAs have 90 days to submit an application for permanent residence with all required supporting evidence. After the government processes the permanent residence application, the applicant and his/her immediate family (spouse and children) can then move to Canada as permanent residents.

So far this year, Canada has issued 18,700 ITAs and has set a target of 85,800 ITAs for this year.