For a candidate with a moderate CRS score who received an Ontario Skilled Trades nomination invite and was deciding whether to accept it or hold out for a targeted federal Express Entry draw for their NOC, group members leaned toward accepting the provincial invite.
What group members advised (this reflects a specific historical draw period — check current draw patterns before relying on this):- Targeted federal draws only cover specific NOC codes, not all skilled trades broadly — so there's no guarantee your particular occupation will be included in an upcoming targeted draw.
- There's no guarantee of getting an EE invite at your current score either, since cut-offs for targeted draws can be higher than expected and fewer invitations may be issued than anticipated.
- Practical tip on timing: prepare your documents well ahead of the deadline, but don't formally accept or reject the provincial nomination until close to the expiry date — this keeps your options open as long as possible while you weigh a possible federal draw.
Overall guidance: given the uncertainty of targeted draws, a confirmed provincial nomination in hand is generally safer than waiting on a draw that may not include your NOC or may set a higher cut-off than you can meet.