In the first six months of 2022, Canada issued the lowest number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in the history of its flagship Express Entry selection system as the Government of Canada attempted to clear the backlog affecting its entire immigration program. The first half of 2022 will be remembered as the era Express Entry went on vacation since Canada turned to its pool of previously submitted applications to provide a steady stream of new permanent residents towards its goal of approximately 432,000 newcomers this year. On June 21, 2022, Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that IRCC will finally resume all-program draws on July 6. He also promised to return to the six months service standard. The last draw for FSW and FST happened in December 2020 and then it was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The same happened to CEC draws in September 2021 due to an increased processing backlog.
