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In the surprise Express Entry draw held on March 23, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 7000 immigration candidates to apply for permanent residence in Canada. The all-program draw targeted immigration candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 484. 
On March 15, the IRCC conducted an Express Entry draw which also invited 7000 candidates. The minimum CRS score for candidates in that draw was 490. The draw broke the previous record of the January 18 all-program Express Entry draw that invited 5500 candidates.
Usually, the Express Entry draws are held bi-weekly. But the latest draw came after a gap of just one week, which indeed makes it a surprise draw. So, this is the second largest Express Entry draw, the first being the Canadian Experience Class(CEC)-specific draw that was held in February 2021, which invited 27332 immigration candidates.
Canada Express Entry
The Express Entry system of Canada manages applications for immigration under the three federal economic immigration programs of Canada, which are the Federal Skilled Worker Program(FSWP), Canadian Experience Class(CEC) and Federal Skilled Trades Program(FSTP). The candidates who express their interest to migrate to Canada through Express Entry will be assessed on the basis of various human capital factors such as age, education, work experience etc., and will be awarded a Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS) score. Those with the highest CRS score points will be invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada in the Express Entry draws that are conducted regularly. The candidates with a provincial nomination will have 600 additional CRS score points that would guarantee them an invitation to apply for permanent residence in Canada.
The candidates who have received an invitation may submit the complete application within 60 days with all the eligible documents. The IRCC will review the application and award them Canada PR visa if found eligible.
Express Entry draws held so far in 2023
| Express Entry draw number | Date | CRS cut-off score | Number of Invitations issued |
| 244 | 23 March 2023 | 484 | 7000 |
| 243 | 15 March 2023 | 490 | 7000 |
| 242 | 2 March 2023 | 748 | 667(PNP-specific) |
| 241 | 15 February 2023 | 791 | 699(PNP-specific) |
| 240 | 2 February 2023 | 489 | 3300(FSWP-specific) |
| 239 | 1 February 2023 | 733 | 893(PNP-specific) |
| 238 | 18 January 2023 | 490 | 5500 |
| 237 | 11 January 2023 | 507 | 5500 |
Are you interested to know more about your options for migrating to Canada through Express Entry? Connect with CanApprove now!
