Ontario removes CRS cap in new PNP draw

On February 22, Ontario invited 773 Express Entry candidates working in targeted occupations to apply for a provincial nomination.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) invited candidates who may be eligible for the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream (HCP). These candidates needed to have a profile in the Express Entry system with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score between 455 and 600.

The maximum of 600 is the most points Express Entry candidates can get without a provincial nomination. Prior to this draw, candidates whose CRS score was above the maximum range would not be eligible to apply for the nomination.

Ontario invited candidates who had created an Express Entry profile between the dates of February 22, 2021, and April 29, 2021. To be eligible for the nomination, candidates need at least one year of work experience in the following targeted occupations listed below by NOC code:

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NOC 0114 – Other administrative services managers
NOC 0122 – Banking, credit and other investment managers
NOC 0124 – Advertising, marketing and public relations managers
NOC 0125 – Other business services managers
NOC 0211 – Engineering managers
NOC 0311 – Managers in health care
NOC 0601 – Corporate sales managers
NOC 0631 – Restaurant and food service managers
NOC 0711 – Construction managers
NOC 0731 – Managers in transportation
NOC 0911 – Manufacturing managers
NOC 1121 – Human resources professionals
NOC 1122 – Professional occupations in business management consulting
NOC 2161 – Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
NOC 3012 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
NOC 3211 – Medical laboratory technologists
NOC 3231 – Opticians
NOC 3233 – Licensed practical nurses

Those who received an invitation now have 45 calendar days to submit their application for Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

High-scoring Ontario candidates can now apply

Canada has not held an Express Entry draw for anyone but PNP candidates since September 2021. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has not given a firm date as to when draws for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) candidates will resume, but recently told business leaders that it would be in the "near future."

Since then, only PNP candidates have been invited. In all of 2021, Express Entry candidates in Ontario with scores of more than 467 were not invited to apply for a nomination. As a result, some candidates were trying to reduce their scores in the pool in order to get a nomination from Ontario.

According to the new 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan Canada is expecting to bring in 83,500 immigrants through both Express Entry-aligned and base PNP categories this year. The new targets are greater than what the government projected in the last levels plan, which was 81,500 PNP immigrants for 2022, and 83,000 for 2023.

This is Ontario's biggest HCP draw of the year, and it has the largest range of eligible Express Entry scores. There is a 145-point difference between the minimum score of 455 and the maximum of 600. Ontario's biggest draw overall was on January 27, when the province invited 1,032 Skilled Trades Stream candidates, another Express Entry stream.

Small Employer Job Offer Draw

Ontario also issued eight invitations under the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream.

These candidates did not have Express Entry profiles, but they had submitted an Expression of Interest to Ontario's system.

This draw was targeted for Economic Mobility Pathways Project candidates, which was created to allow about 10-15 skilled refugees to immigrate to Canada through a PNP or another federal economic program.

What is the benefit of having a PNP?

PNPs allow Canadian provinces to invite immigration candidates who meet the needs of their regional labour markets.

Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are effectively guaranteed to get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence. With a provincial nomination, candidates get 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points added to their base score, which is more than enough to receive an ITA in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

About Express Entry

Express Entry is an application management system that allows people to apply for permanent residence directly to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It is not an immigration program itself, but it manages the applications for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class, and Federal Skilled Trades Program

If you are eligible for one or more of these programs, you can then create an Express Entry profile. Once you upload all your documents, you will get a score based on your work experience, education, age, and language ability in English or French, among other criteria.

IRCC holds draws about every two weeks and issues ITAs to the highest scoring candidates, allowing them them to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

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