05/18/2022
Fortunately, IRCC has recently confirmed it will soon be processing most new Express Entry applications within six months. This will take effect once IRCC resumes Express Entry invitations to FSWP, CEC, and FSTP candidates in July.
The normalization of Express Entry in early July is major news for several reasons. First, Express Entry is the main way IRCC welcomes skilled workers to Canada. Permanent residence invitations to FSWP candidates have been temporarily paused since December 2020 while CEC candidates have not received invitations since September 2021, but this will no longer be the case come July. The FSWP was the main way Canada welcomed skilled immigrants between 1967 and the start of the pandemic. Resuming invitations for these two programs will provide hundreds of thousands of candidates with the opportunity to achieve their goal of gaining Canadian permanent residence.
The resumption of draws is also welcome news for Canadian employers. Statistics Canada reports Canada has over 800,000 job vacancies and its unemployment rate on record. Employers need more immigrant talent to help address their worker shortages. That Express Entry is returning to normal and most new applications will be processed within six months means that employers will have access to more talent in the near future, which will be crucial to supporting Canada’s post-pandemic economic recovery.
Getting processing times back to six months is also notable for immigration candidates since Express Entry will once again become the quickest way for skilled workers to get Canadian permanent residence. Processing times for the over 100 other economic class immigration pathways offered by Canada exceed six months.
As such, it is in your interests to prepare your Express Entry profile in time for the return of all-program draws come early July.
Source - CIC news