Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted its sixth Express Entry draw of 2023, inviting 667 candidates with a CRS score of at least 748. This was the third time the draw was exclusive to candidates who had received a Provincial Nomination Certificate since the launch of Express Entry in 2015. The recent draw marks the third program-specific draw of 2023. Express Entry draws in 2023 have shown a departure from the typical bi-weekly Wednesday schedule that has been in place since its launch in 2015.
The first draw of 2023 on January 11 had a higher number of invited candidates (5,500) with a low CRS cut-off score of 507 compared to previous draws, following a six-week unexpected pause caused by an IT system glitch related to NOC 2021 implementation. The IRCC conducted another draw on February 15, which invited the same number of candidates but with a CRS cut-off score of 791. This was unusual as it is rare for IRCC to issue ITAs to candidates in consecutive weeks.
The February 1st draw marked the departure from this pattern as it was the first draw since June 2022 that only invited candidates in the Express Entry pool who had received a provincial nomination. Prior to the pandemic, IRCC rarely conducted program-specific draws, with only a few exceptions for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. Most Express Entry draws were all-program draws. During the COVID-19 pandemic, IRCC held Express Entry draws only for candidates who received a provincial nomination and did not hold a PNP-only draw. Candidates with a provincial nomination receive an additional 600 CRS points on their Express Entry application, automatically boosting their ranking.
The Express Entry system is expected to undergo changes which gives the immigration minister the power to invite candidates based on Canada’s economic needs and labour force shortages. IRCC is likely to move away from solely basing draws on Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores and towards holding draws targeting specific candidate attributes. The department recently concluded public consultations on the potential attributes that may be considered, such as occupation, education, work experience, or language proficiency. IRCC has stated that new attribute-based categories will be announced prior to conducting draws.
If there is a tie between candidates, the cut-off will be based on the date and time their Express Entry profile was submitted. To learn more on this topic, visit this section on our website. In this draw, candidates from all Express Entry aligned Federal Programs were eligible. That is, the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC), Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC), Canadian Experience Class (CEC) & enhanced provincial nominee programs.
Express Entry is an electronic selection system used by the Federal as well as Provincial governments of Canada [to select], as well as designated Canadian employers [to nominate] candidates for Canadian permanent residence under the following immigration programs:
Candidates eligible for any of the above programs are given a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score in the Express Entry Pool. It is based on their Core/Human capital factors such as age, work experience, education, and language ability in English and/or French, etc. And, based on scores, candidates are periodically invited (or nominated) for permanent residence.
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