IRCC to resume Express Entry High Skilled draws for CEC, FSWP, and FSTP in July 2022

ircc

April 22, 2022: In a major announcement made by IRCC today, they have announced that IRCC, will resume the draws for the federal high skilled streams, which include the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skill Trades. This is great news for all the applicants who eagerly awaiting the announcement of when these draws will resume. Applicants have been waiting for this announcement for quite some time.

The IRCC also announced that they will be announcing a special temporary policy that will allow holders of Post Graduate Work Permits to extend their permits for 18 months if their permits are due to expire between January and December 2022.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada has not issued invitations for candidates under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) since December 2020 and the Canadian Economic Class (CEC) since September 2021. However, to help with the shortage of labour and increase the number of immigrants even during the travel restrictions in Canada, the IRCC decided to focus on inviting candidates for the CEC. Other than that, IRCC decided to focus on inviting candidates for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to assist the goals of provincial immigration. This resulted in backlogs in the immigration system and labour shortages in Canada.

As per IRCC, candidates for CEC are mostly former international students in Canada who obtained a post-graduate work permit (PGWP). However, candidates for CEC lose the status of their work permit because of IRCC’s lack of invitations to apply for Express Entry while waiting for their permanent residency status, which hinders them from applying for a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP).

Now, the Minister of IRCC, Mr. Sean Fraser, announced on April 22, 2022, that the invitations for candidates to CEC, FSWP, and FSTP will resume in early July for permanent residency. Most of the new applications for these draws will be processed within the six-month service standard. Also, it was announced that there would be an extension for PGWPs. According to IRCC, they are currently working on a simplified process for the PGWP extension, which will be announced in the coming weeks. There are 95,000 PGWs that will expire this year, and an estimated 50,000 PGWPs can benefit from the new open work permit.

  • IRCC will resume Express Entry draws to invite qualified candidates to the Canadian Economic Class, Federal Skilled Worker Class, and Federal Skilled Trade Class for permanent residency from July 2022.
  • IRCC will try to process the new applications within the 6-month service standards

International Students may be able to extend their Post Graduate Work Permits for 18 months

  • International students in Canada whose post-graduate work permits expire or are about to expire between January and December 2022 will be able to apply for an additional open work permit lasting up to 18 months beginning in mid-June.

Changes to policy affecting applicants who are waiting for approval of their Permanent residence applications applied under the Temporary to Permanent Residency (TR to PR) Pathway 2021

  • Permanent residency applicants no longer need to stay in Canada while they wait for their permanent residency status.
  • Applicants who apply for an Open Work Permit while waiting for their permanent residency status will be given work permits that are valid until 2024 to ensure the finalization of their application before they apply or extend their temporary status again.
  • Family members outside of Canada who are included in a permanent residence application will be able to obtain open work permits to support family reunification.

 The Canadian Immigration system Express Entry is designed for those seeking permanent residence through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, The Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Canadian Experience Class and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program. This is a major announcement for those who have been waiting for the opportunity to apply for permanent residency in Canada.  

Do you want to get permanent residency status and achieve your Canadian dream life? Or do you need help extending your post-graduate work permit?

Here at Chitra & Associates, we are happy to assist you in achieving your Canadian dreams! Book a consultation with us or give us a call at +1-604-484-9474 to get started with the process. We will help you with an assessment of your profile to determine your eligibility for a permanent residence application and a PGWP extension and draft a strategy for your immigration to Canada.

Disclaimer

Please note that none of the information on this website should be construed as being legal advice. As well, you should not rely on any of the information contained in this website when determining whether and how to apply to a given program.
Canadian immigration law is constantly changing, and the information above may be outdated.
If you have a question about the contents of this blog, or any question about Canadian immigration law, please contact the Author. Please book a consultation if you would like to get answers to general immigration questions and advice specific to your situation.

About Chitra & Associates

Chitra & Associates Immigration Consultants Inc. is an Immigration Consulting company specialising in Canadian Immigration and Visa Services. We provide services in the area of Economic Immigration, permanent residency for Canada for Individuals, Business Immigration, work permits, visitor visas, study permits, and much more.

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