Canada to continue Express Entry draws for skilled workers in "near term": Sean Fraser

IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) working on new Express Entry strategy

Asked when Canada would once again hold the Canada Experience Class (CEC), Immigration Secretary Sean Fraser said the draws would continue "in the near term" and said he was looking at how the express entry system could speed it up.

Fraser met with President and CEO of Canada's Business Council Goldy Hyder to discuss Canadian immigration. The event was streamed on February 16 on the website of the Canadian Club Toronto.

Amid growing fears that skilled immigrants would pick other countries over Canada, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says he has his "full attention" to tackle the backlogs and create a more "nimble" system.

"We do need to resume federal skilled worker draws in the near future," Fraser confirmed. "If you look at the immigration levels plan over the next several years, the balance is moving back, and by year three... a record number of federal skilled workers will be welcomed to Canada, including through the Canadian Experience Class."

By no means do I want to communicate that there will be any kind of abandonment of—what I would argue—is one of the most successful immigration programs anywhere in the world."

Fraser also said he was trying to increase the speed of the Express Entry system. He recommended that Express Entry could be used to meet short-term needs, including welcoming people to small communities, high-demand sectors and "people from a particular region that has the kind of educational institutions that will train the labours we need in strategically important sectors."

Express Entry is the primary way Canada receives economic immigrants. Applicants who meet the qualification requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) may submit an Express Entry Profile to the IRCC.

They will be assigned a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on factors such as their age, education, language skills and work experience. The IRCC then sends out requests for permanent residence every two weeks. Before the pandemic, FSWP applicants were mostly recipients of Express Invitations to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.

One of Fraser's goals, outlined in his ministerial mandate letter, is to expand Express Entry options for permanent residency for international students and temporary foreign workers. It also has an expanded role in urban and northern immigration policing. It pushes the urban development program to provide better immigration to small and medium towns. Fraser has made the Atlantic Immigration Pilot a permanent program since its inception in the fall. This is one of the other objectives of the process.