The IRCC has stated that getting the Federal Express Entry system back to normal is going to be a key part of the economic recovery of Canada after the Covid-19 pandemic. The internal memo in the IRCC briefing made public has created speculation and some confusion in the immigration department of Canada and the management of the Express Entry Program 2022. The briefing information also gives insights into why invitations were not issued to the Federal Skilled Worker Program applicants and the Canadian Experience Class applicants for quite some time now.
Much of the information released was redacted and so could not be used to come to any conclusions. Though ambiguous, the information indicated that the pause was so that the IRCC could reduce the number of applications that were waiting in the backlog and thus get closer to the standard of service and processing that keeps Express Entry applications processing at six months. The time it takes to process an application has increased across the departments as they scramble to catch up.
The growth in the backlog of the Express Entry applications was because of travel restrictions that had been put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the focus of the immigration department has shifted to the applicants who were transitioning into permanent residency from temporary, in order to meet the immigration goals of 401,000 Canada PR set for 2021. A large number of invitations were issued for the CEC applicants, and a TR to PR pathway was created in support of the immigration plans. The shift in focus to applicants who were already in Canada came at the expense of immigrants who submitted their Express Entry applications from overseas, and they saw a significant rise in the processing time of their applications.
IRCC has stated that there may be a reduction in the admissions via the Express Entry system in order to make accommodation for other priorities in consideration of the Immigration Level Plan 2022-2024. A preliminary scenario suggests that the decrease will be up to 50% of the target set in the 2021-2023 plan. This reduction is required in order to incorporate the TR to PR pathway as well as the goals of the government of Canada to accommodate refugees from Afghanistan. The new plan will be released in February 2022.
The memo does not make it clear when draws will be held for FSTP, FSWP, or the CEC. According to the memo, 76,000 candidates from the Express Entry system are expected to be invited at the start of this year, which is higher than the number that is needed to meet the target. Approximately no intake will be required from the Express Entry system for the first half of the year. Another issue that does not have clarity is whether IRCC means Invitations or intake. A 60-day deadline is given to applicants from the time they are sent the invitation to complete the submission of their application for permanent residency to the IRCC.
The immigration department wants to decrease the backlog of the Express Entry system by half or more before they can take into consideration the broadening of draws for Express Entry again. IRCC also wants to ensure that it is capable of processing the applications of the applicants to whom invitations have been sent more quickly. With the ability to process 16,000 applications per month, the IRCC currently is capable of reducing the backlog as expected by early 2022. Then the IRCC may be able to resume the draws for the pathways in the cling months, making an allowance of 2 months before any intake actually happens.
The plan announced in February will offer more clarity. The immigration plans are under constant revision, with announcements from the IRCC evaluating a number of operational considerations and policy considerations. This also means that the November memo released last year could have offered no real insight into the Express Entry plans. There is a potential that the IRCC may reduce the number of admissions via Express Entry in 2022. This does not mean a total stop in the system because there is a difference between the number of invitations issued and the number of immigrants admitted.
An admission is counted at the end of the Express Entry process, the process is taking approximately one year currently because of the existence of the backlog in applications. The memo states that the processing time for CEC applicants currently is at eight months and around 20 months for FSWP applicants. The IRCC website currently states that the time for processing for Express Entry is 6 months. The Express Entry process involves receiving the invitation to apply for Canada PR, submitting the application for permanent resident status, and finishing its processing. At the end of this process, admission is finalized when the applicant arrives in the country and gains permanent resident status. It can also involve living in Canada with a temporary resident status and waiting for the change in the legal status.
Because of the length of the process, IRCC is continuously issuing invitations under the Express Entry Program. When a complete application for Canada PR is received, the IRCC either processes or immediately the processing can begin a little later due to the changing pandemic situation and change in policy priorities.
Resuming Of Express Entry Program
Resuming invitations via the Express Entry system is in the best interest of the immigration policy of Canada. Since its launch in 2015, Express Entry Program has invited the candidates with the highest scores in the comprehensive ranking system to apply for Canada PR. It is dynamic, and the end of backlog can be achieved if the IRCC processes the applications of the candidates to whom an invitation has been sent rather than processing each individual application.
IRCC is not inviting, and the backlog has grown because there is a shift in resources to put priority on the applications for permanent resident status coming from within Canada and the processing of applications of Afghan refugees. There was an argument at the beginning about the usage of the CRS system to rank and score, whether it was a good system to identify the applicants who would be able to successfully integrate into the economy of Canada. The system was designed after using the research of Statistics Canada, making it a scientific method of selecting applicants.
Canada definitely benefited from the use of the comprehensive ranking system for determining the invitations for the Express Entry system. Research done by Statistics Canada shows that the immigrants who immigrate to Canada during a recession have weak economic outcomes compared to those who immigrated during the times when the economy is strong.
The CRS system is considered fair. The Express Entry system has been used overwhelmingly on the basis of the CRS system but departed from it in January 2021. Applicants who are being placed in the Express Entry pool after they have taken steps for improvement in their CRS score would have wasted their efforts if IRCC shifts the system with no advance notice.
An increase in the backlog of the Express Entry system can be attributed to the decision of the IRCC to process the applications of the CEC pathways while putting the applications of the FSWP pathway on hold. The cost of putting the FSWP pathway applications on hold, as well as delaying the processing of applications of other worker streams has been borne by the economy as the population is short in the labor force. Canada is now dealing with the highest rate of job vacancy, with 1 million jobs waiting to be filled. Industries that are crucial to the economy of Canada such as food, healthcare, transportation are in need of a workforce.
It is in the interest of the economy of the country that the IRCC should begin processing the applications for skilled worker pathways to bring the labor shortages down and slowly begin the process of economic recovery. The stoppage of CEC draws is also taking a toll on the economic and fairness perspective of the system. The applicants from this pathway work for Canadian employers, remaining in the country after gaining Canada PR through the Express Entry System.
