IRCC To Conduct Program-Specific Draws Again

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IRCC To Conduct Program-Specific Draws Again?

IRCC To Conduct Program-Specific Draws Again?

Michael Zimmer Published:
February 10, 2023

Recently, many Express Entry aspirants were taken by surprise when Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced 2 selection draws on adjacent days – this rarely happens. Nonetheless, it has also raised suspicion whether IRCC is going to conduct draws that specific to each program.

IRCC conducted its 4^th Express Entry draw this year in month of 2 February and invited 3,300 candidates with a CRS score of at least 489. Read the full article here. This was the first time the draw was exclusive to Federal Skilled Worker Program candidates since June 2022. The recent draw marks the second program-specific draw of 2023, following the February 1 draw that issued ITAs to candidates who had received provincial nomination certificate. 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 following week, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted another draw on January 18, which invited the same number of candidates but with a lower CRS cut-off score of 490. This was unusual as it is rare for IRCC to issue ITAs to candidates in consecutive weeks.

The draw on 1^st February 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.

The below chart shows the cut-off CRS scores in 2023

What is Express Entry (EE)?

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.

Contact us today to know if you qualify to migrate to Canada. Check out Owlspriority Immigration’s Canada Settlement Resources to learn about finding employment in Canada, making your initial days stress-free, etc.