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In the first Express Entry draw of 2023, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada(IRCC) invited 5500 immigration candidates to apply for permanent residence in Canada. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of the invited candidates was 507. As it was an all-program draw, candidates of Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Worker Program(FSWP) and Federal Skilled Trades Program(FSTP) received invitations.
In terms of the number of invitations issued, this is the largest Express Entry draw since the draws were resumed in last July. Compared to the previous Express Entry draw held on November 23rd, the latest draw invited 750 more candidates and the CRS cut-off score was also higher compared to 491 in the previous draw.
Canada Express Entry draws of 2022
Last year, a total of 45538 candidates were invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada through 23 Express Entry draws. These include the draws held between January and July that exclusively targeted Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. As an impact of the pandemic, all-program Express Entry draws had been paused for over 18 months since December 2020. The pause was owing to the huge backlog of PR applications, caused by the travel restrictions related to the pandemic. IRCC invited only CEC and PNP candidates through Express Entry during this period. However, CEC draws were also paused in September 2021 after which only PNP candidates were invited in Express Entry draws. After the all-program resumed in July 2022, a total of 35750 candidates were invited in the year.
Changes to Express Entry
The IRCC implemented NOC 2021 in November 2022, which is a major change as far as the Express Entry system is concerned. The new system categorises eligible occupations on the basis of training, education, experience and responsibilities (TEER). Besides, 16 new occupations have also been made eligible under Express Entry.
As per the Immigration Levels Plan of Canada for 2023-25, the country will be inviting a higher number of immigrants through Express Entry during the plan period. While 82880 candidates will be admitted in 2023, the number will be 109020 in 2024 and it will be 114000 in 2025.
Are you interested to know more about migrating to Canada through Express Entry? Connect with the Canada immigration experts of CanApprove. Contact us now.
