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Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held a historic round of Express Entry nominations on February 2, targeting only registered profiles qualifying for Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).
In a first since the beginning of the Canada Express Entry draws in 2015, Canada invited FSWP profiles ranked among the first 3,300 places in the general ranking of the federal pool. The rankings were based on Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores of 489 or higher for this draw.
There are close to 239,415 applicants in the Express Entry pool as of February 1, 2023, including 64,382 profiles having CRS scores between 451-500 and another 59,921 profiles with CRS scores between 401-450.
Click to learn how you may improve your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
| OVERVIEW OF EXPRESS ENTRY LATEST DRAWS #240 (FSWP-only) | |
| Record-breaking Draw Size | 3,330 invitations to apply for Canada PR |
| Decreased Express Entry Cut-off | The minimum CRS score required was 489 |
| Is the Tie-break rule applied? | Profiles registered on or before March 29, 2022, at 16:09:00 UTC |
Those who entered the Express Entry pool earlier (i.e. before March 29, 2022) were prioritized in case of two or more profiles ended up with the same CRS score.
Take your free assessment online to determine your chances of qualifying for Canada PR under Express Entry.
About Federal Skilled Worker Program
Federal Skilled Worker Program is carrying forward a rich legacy to be the world’s first program to evaluate immigration candidates objectively. Today, the FSWP is managed by Canada’s Express Entry system along with two other skilled worker programs.
By qualifying for FSWP, you are ahead in the race to gain Canadian permanent residence within six months, compared with longer processing times for other skilled worker programs in Canada.
Canada aims to welcome over 110,000 immigrants by 2024 under Express Entry and past successes show that the most successful Express Entry candidates immigrating to Canada come from the FSWP.
To be eligible to apply under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, potential candidates must meet the minimum requirements for work, language ability, and education and obtain at least 67 points under the program’s 100-point grid. All work experience and education qualifications may be outside Canada.
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What to Expect Next in 2023
Express Entry draws in 2023 have deviated from the routine seen since 2015.
The first draw held on January 11 was an all-program Express Entry which resumed after an 18-month pause during the pandemic. It issued 5,500 invitations to apply to eligible candidates with minimum CRS scores of 507 or above.
Surprisingly, the second draw followed up the next week on January 18 inviting the same number of candidates but with a much lower minimum CRS score of 490.
IRCC reverted to its pandemic innovation when it held the third Express Entry draw on February 1. The draw focussed only on eligible candidates with provincial nominations to qualify for Canada PR.
Back-to-back Express Entry draws on February 2 are the first of their kind, to improve foreign skilled immigration and address the increasing skill demand gap in the local workforce.
In the coming months, IRCC is expected to issue ITAs for Canada PR to eligible candidates with specific work experience, education, or language ability. The occupation group choice would depend on Canada’s prevailing market demand.
This will impact the relevance of CRS scores in some instances and may become less vital in future draws. Read how Self-employed physicians can now apply under Express Entry for PR.
Book a free appointment with CanApprove to explore more suitable programs for your immigration to Canada.
