IRCC searching to address Express Entry backlogs earlier than resuming FSWP and CEC invitations

A latest inside IRCC memo sheds mild on why the branch is no longer presently inviting FSWP and CEC candidates.

IRCC is protecting off on inviting FSWP and CEC candidates so that it can handle its backlogs.

This was revealed in an interior briefing memo obtained by CIC News after a request from the department. Although the memo is closely redacted, it incorporates key insights on Canada’s Express Entry operations.

The memo starts off evolved with the aid of pointing out that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stopped Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) invites in December 2020 to pursue a strategy for “aggressively” inviting candidates for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident (TR2PR) pathway to help meet the government’s immigration targets for 2021.

“This method resulted in massive stock increase, a backlog of applications, and processing instances in excess of carrier needs for all financial categories,” according to the memo.

As said by using CIC News final week, IRCC’s backlog stood at 1.8 million purposes as of October 2021. This consists of everlasting residence, transient residence, and Canadian citizenship applications. The backlog has grown from 1.5 million functions in July 2021. The information exhibit there have been 99,968 Express Entry everlasting house functions looking forward to processing as of October 27, 2021.

It seems that some development is being made on lowering Express Entry utility backlogs. The interior IRCC briefing notes the backlog used to be at about 108,500 as of the date of the note, September 3, 2021.

This means that between September 3 and October 27 of this year, the Express Entry backlog was reduced by around 8,500 applications.

The briefing mentions the backlog of Express Entry candidates was once 62,450 candidates at the equal factor ultimate yr (i.e., September 2020). This skill it has almost doubled amid IRCC’s method to focal point on supplying everlasting dwelling to candidates in Canada.

IRCC states in the memo that “Adjusting to meet the Afghanistan resettlement targets has created the want for trade-offs in the Spousal Sponsorship category, CEC, and the TR2PR program. As a result, the Department now anticipates concluding 2021 with a PR [permanent residence] stock in extra of 760K persons, with 360K in the financial class.”

It is unknown if IRCC’s forecasts have changed. As of October 27, the everlasting dwelling stock stood at almost 550,000 applications, of which over 255,000 fell below the monetary class. Given the mild decline in the Express Entry backlog between September and October, it is feasible that IRCC has revised its inner forecast on backlogs and no longer expects them to be as giant as indicated in the September third memo.

IRCC notes in its memo it will want to reduce the Express Entry backlog by way of “more than half” in order to attain its Express Entry processing preferred of six months or less.

The memo concludes via mentioning senior IRCC officers will return to the department’s absolute best ranking civil servant (i.e., non-political employee), the Deputy Minister Catrina Tapley, in November 2021 with a sketch for Express Entry intakes for the duration of the rest of 2021, and early 2022, as soon as there is a higher experience of the composition of immigrants IRCC will seem to goal in 2022.

About Express Entry

The IRCC manages applications for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program via the Express Entry system (FSTP). Express Entry is the foremost way Canada welcomes financial type immigrants.

Candidates who are eligible for any of the three packages can create profiles on IRCC’s website. They acquire a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) rating based totally on their human capital traits such as their age, education, language skills, and work experience.

Prior to the pandemic, IRCC held Express Entry attracts about each two weeks and invited the very best scoring candidates to follow for everlasting residence. Invited candidates had 60 days to put up their finished everlasting house purposes to IRCC. IRCC then aimed to method purposes inside its provider general of six months or much less for most candidates. FSWP candidates have been the lead recipients of Invitations to Apply (ITA) for everlasting residence, accompanied by way of CEC candidates.

The pandemic has modified things, however. This year, IRCC has solely invited CEC and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates to follow for everlasting residence, even if they have been no longer the best scoring candidates amongst all candidates in the Express Entry pool. Moreover, IRCC is now not presently capable to commit to retaining its processing popular of six months due to the pandemic.

The CEC is a famous application amongst former global college students and overseas people who have at least 1 yr of expert work trip in Canada. The PNP exists to tackle the nearby labour market desires of provinces and territories throughout Canada. If an Express Entry candidate additionally meets the standards of a PNP stream, a province can invite them to practice to their PNP. If the candidate accepts the invitation, they acquire an extra 600 CRS points, which if truth be told ensures they will obtain an ITA underneath Express Entry.

The centre of attention in 2021 on solely inviting CEC and PNP candidates is to assist IRCC reap its intention of touchdown 401,000 new everlasting residents in 2021 as set out in its Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023. IRCC’s centre of attention on CEC and PNP candidates is guided by means of a two-fold rationale.

First, CEC candidates are generally in Canada and subsequently much less in all likelihood to be impacted through COVID-related disruptions that would obstruct their capacity to achieve everlasting residence, and as a result undermine IRCC’s capability to land 401,000 immigrants this year. Second, IRCC views PNP attracts as essential to assist the labour market wants of Canada’s provinces.

This year, IRCC has held 33 PNP precise draws, inviting 17,785 candidates in all. Meanwhile, there have been 27 CEC precise draws, ensuing in 133,868 invitations.

The ultimate CEC draw took area on September 14. The IRCC briefing word shows the pause in CEC attracts is to enable IRCC to manipulate its contemporary Express Entry backlog.

FSWP candidates have been the ones most negatively impacted through the above brief coverage changes. In an e mail to CIC News, IRCC verified there had been nearly 165,000 FSWP eligible candidates in the Express Entry pool as of October 25, 2021. This capability they signify over eighty-five per cent of Express Entry candidates presently in the pool.