If you’ve spent any time researching ways to work or immigrate to Canada, you’ve probably come across the term “rounds of invitations.” But what exactly does it mean?
Rounds of invitations are used as part of the application process for several Canadian immigration and work permit programs, including:
- International Experience Canada (IEC) work permits, including Working Holiday, Young Professionals and International Co-op;
- permanent residence outside Quebec through Express Entry.
What is a round of invitations?
To apply through one of these programs, you first need to create a profile and enter the relevant pool of candidates. By doing so, you’re letting the Canadian authorities know that you’re interested in applying through that particular program.
For International Experience Canada (IEC), candidates of the same citizenship applying for the same IEC category are placed in the same pool.
For Express Entry, which applies to immigration outside Quebec, candidates from around the world enter the Express Entry pool.
Rounds of invitations are the process through which candidates are selected from these pools.
However, the way candidates are selected varies considerably from one program to another.
For Working Holiday permits under IEC, candidates are generally selected at random. Express Entry, on the other hand, uses a points-based ranking system to select eligible candidates.
We’ll take a closer look at how these different rounds of invitations work below.
How often do rounds of invitations take place, and how many candidates are invited?
IEC rounds of invitations generally take place once a week, often between Monday evening and Tuesday morning. The number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued varies from week to week. You can follow the latest IEC rounds throughout the season in our Working Holiday and IEC Canada updates.
Express Entry rounds of invitations take place regularly. The number of candidates invited varies from one draw to another.
Working Holiday rounds of invitations
For many citizenships, there are more candidates interested in the Working Holiday program than there are spots available.
Unlike some immigration programs, the Working Holiday category doesn’t rank candidates according to factors such as education or professional experience. When demand exceeds the number of available spots, invitations are therefore issued through random draws known as rounds of invitations.
During each round, anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred—or even several thousand—candidates may receive an Invitation to Apply for a Working Holiday permit.
Candidates who aren’t selected cannot submit a Working Holiday work permit application. Instead, they remain in the pool and wait for subsequent rounds, hoping to receive an invitation later in the season.
Rounds generally take place over a period of around nine or ten months.
As long as you meet the eligibility requirements for the Working Holiday category, including the applicable age and citizenship requirements, factors such as your education, professional experience, available funds or whether you already have a job offer won’t improve or reduce your chances of being selected.
Working Holiday selection is random. Some candidates receive an invitation only a few days after entering the pool, while others may wait months. Some candidates may apply across several IEC seasons before eventually receiving an invitation.
Once you’ve entered the pool, your profile remains active for the current IEC season. You don’t need to submit a new profile before every round of invitations.
Find out everything you need to know about Working Holiday in Canada.
If you aren’t selected during a particular season, you can enter the pool again the following season, provided you’re still eligible.
Young Professionals and International Co-op rounds of invitations
The process is slightly different for the Young Professionals permit and International Co-op (Internship) permit. Selection for these categories isn’t usually described as a random draw in the same way as Working Holiday.
First of all, you need an eligible job offer or internship in Canada to apply for these employer-specific IEC permits, which means there are generally fewer candidates competing for spots than in the Working Holiday category.
If you receive an invitation under Young Professionals or International Co-op but don’t have the required job or internship in Canada, you won’t be able to complete your application.
In addition, these categories often have fewer candidates than available spots, although competition can increase towards the end of the season as quotas are filled.
As a result, eligible candidates in these categories often have a good chance of receiving an Invitation to Apply relatively quickly.
Express Entry rounds of invitations
With Express Entry, candidates aren’t selected randomly. Instead, eligible profiles are ranked using a points-based system known as the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
The Canadian government regularly holds Express Entry rounds of invitations. Depending on the type of draw, candidates who meet the relevant criteria and have a sufficiently high CRS score receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence.
Not every Express Entry draw targets the same candidates. Some rounds may focus on a particular Express Entry program or category.
Your CRS score is calculated out of a maximum of 1,200 points.
Here is a brief overview of some of the factors that can contribute to your CRS score:
- Core/human capital factors, including age, level of education, proficiency in Canada’s official languages and Canadian work experience;
- Spouse or common-law partner factors, where applicable, including education, official-language proficiency and Canadian work experience;
- Skill transferability factors, based on combinations of education, language ability and Canadian or foreign work experience;
- Additional points, which can be awarded for factors such as having a brother or sister who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, French-language proficiency, post-secondary studies in Canada or receiving a nomination from a Canadian province or territory.
The way points are allocated differs depending on whether you’re applying with or without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner.
Core/human capital factors + spouse or common-law partner factors + skill transferability factors + additional points = a maximum CRS score of 1,200 points.
Whether you’re hoping to receive an invitation through Working Holiday, Young Professionals, International Co-op or Express Entry, good luck with your Canadian adventure!
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