Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held another all-program Express Entry draw on March 29, resulting in another huge draw size of 7,000 invitations to apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence (PR).
IRCC lowered the qualifying points by three points to CRS 481, in comparison with last week’s Express Entry draw. The latest round of invitations is the fourth all-program Express Entry in 2023 and the ninth overall.
Canada considered newly registered profiles in the federal pool by keeping the tie-breaker cut-off date as close to February 14, 2023. The tie-break rule is beneficial in cases where two or more candidates end up with the same CRS score.
OVERVIEW OF EXPRESS ENTRY LATEST DRAWS #245 | |
Record-breaking Draw Size | 7,000 invitations to apply for Canada PR |
Lower Express Entry Cut-off | The minimum CRS score required was 481 |
Tie-break rule applied | Profiles registered on or before February 14, 2023, 07:35:00 UTC |
Candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) were eligible for this Express Entry round of invitations.
These profiles are evaluated on a total of 1200 points. The human capital criteria like
- age,
- education,
- work experience outside Canada,
- language proficiency in English/French,
- spouse adaptability,
- Canadian study experience, etc. are considered for evaluation purposes.
Further, a successful provincial nomination can boost the Express Entry CRS score by additional 600 points.
Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility for Canadian immigration.
Outlook of Canada Express Entry System in 2023
IRCC has invited a total of 21,000 candidates over the past two weeks. Three back-to-back all-program Express Entry weekly draws reinforce increasing opportunities for FSWP candidates.
FSWP provides a direct pathway to eligible skilled workers with enough work experience to qualify for PR without a job offer or prior experience in Canada.
Since January 18, Canada had been targeting program-specific Express Entry draws for permanent residence (PR). The 2023-2025 annual targets for Express Entry landings (principal applicants, spouses, and dependents) are projected at
- 82,880 ITAs in 2023
- 109,020 ITAs in 2024
- 114,000 ITAs in 2025
The passage of Bill C-19 will further allow IRCC 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. Also, read how Self-employed physicians can now apply under Express Entry for PR.
If you’re interested in Canadian immigration through Express Entry, contact a CICC-registered immigration consultant like CanApprove to determine your best chances of qualifying based on your academic profile and work experience.
Book a free appointment with CanApprove to explore immigration programs under Express Entry and boost your CRS scores.