IRCC has held the eleventh Express Entry draw of 2023.
Canada Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) issued a total of 3,500 invitations to apply (ITA) to the candidates in a lottery of all the programs. Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive rating system (CRS) score of 483.
In an all-program lottery, candidates are considered from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
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This draw follows the one on April 12 in which 3,500 candidates received Invitations to Apply (ITA) in an all-programs draw. Those candidates needed a minimum CRS score of at least 486.
The April 12 draw invited only half the candidates who were invited in the March 15, 23, and 29 draws, all of which invited 7,000 candidates each for two weeks instead of the typical biweekly draws. It also raised the minimum CRS score from 481 to 486. The draw size and higher CRS score are more in line with previous draws seen in 2022 and early 2023.
March milestones in Express Entry
In March of this year, more than 21,000 ITAs were issued in a single month. This was the second highest number of ITAs issued in Express Entry history.
The most ITAs issued in a month was when 27,332 CEC candidates were invited in a single draw in February 2021.
That being said, the first draw in March for 7,000 applicants was the largest draw of any program. The next two draws repeated this number for a total of 21,000 invited candidates in two weeks and a monthly total of 21,667 ITAs issued. The remaining 667 ITAs were issued in a March 1 draw aimed only at Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates.
In total, there were four Express Entry draws in March, one each week. This is unusual because the draws usually only happen every other week on Wednesdays.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is an application management system that was established in 2015 to assess and rank candidates for three of Canada’s economy-class immigration programs: the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
Candidates in these programs are considered highly qualified and likely to establish themselves financially in Canada. Express Entry uses the Comprehensive rating system to evaluate candidates based on human capital factors such as work experience, occupation, language ability, and education. Those who score high are the most likely to receive a invitation to apply (ITA) in an upcoming Express Entry draw.
If a candidate receives an ITA, they have 60 days to submit their final application for permanent residence to IRCC. An immigration officer then reviews the application and decides if the candidate is approved for permanent resident status.
reference: www.cicnews.com