Ontario’s first Tech Draw invites more than 1,600 Express Entry candidates with CRS scores as low as 439
Credit to Author: Stephen Smith| Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2019 16:17:04 +0000
Ontario conducted its first Tech Draw on July 12, inviting 1,623 Express Entry candidates with eligible work experience to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence.
Those invited in the July 12 draw had Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores ranging from 439 to 459 and created their Express Entry profiles between July 12, 2018, to July 12, 2019.
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) introduced Tech Draws earlier this month to meet the burgeoning labour needs of the province’s tech sector.
In order to be considered for a Tech Draw invitation, candidates must have an eligible profile registered under the Federal Skilled Worker Class or Canadian Experience Class, both of which are managed by the federal Express Entry system.
All candidates in the Express Entry pool are assigned a score under the CRS that is based on factors such as age, education, skilled work experience and proficiency in English or French.
A provincial nomination results in an additional 600 CRS points, effectively guaranteeing an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence in a subsequent draw from the Express Entry pool.
Find out if you are eligible to enter the Express Entry pool
Express Entry draws have seen the minimum score required to receive an invitation range from 438 to 470 this year, with scores in the 450s being most common. The cut-off CRS score in a federal draw has only dropped below 450 on three occasions this year, and below 440 only once.
OINP Tech Draws are conducted through the province’s Human Capital Priorities immigration stream, which allows the OINP to search the federal Express Entry pool for candidates who meet the stream’s eligibility requirements.
A job offer is not required in order to be eligible for the Human Capital Priorities Stream.
Tech Draws search specifically for Express Entry candidates who meet the Human Capital Priorities Stream’s eligibility requirements and have at least one year of continuous paid full-time work experience (or the equivalent in paid part-time work) in one of the following six tech occupations:
NOC stands for National Occupational Classification, which determines an occupation’s skill level and skill type.
Ontario is home to several of Canada’s major tech hubs, notably those in the cities of Toronto, Ottawa and Waterloo.
Toronto created more tech jobs than the San Francisco Bay area, Seattle and Washington, D.C., combined in 2017, according to the CBRE Group.
“This first tech draw is a welcome opportunity for eligible Express Entry candidates who haven’t met the cut-off scores in recent federal draws,” said David Cohen, senior partner with the Campbell, Cohen Canadian immigration law firm in Montreal.
“It’s a great reminder of the value of a provincial nomination for Express Entry candidates.”
Find out if you are eligible to enter the Express Entry pool
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