IRCC holds three Express Entry draws in One Week since October 2023

During the week of December 4^th, Canada held three Express Entry Draws. On December 8^th, IRCC held draw #274, on December 7^th,  IRCC held draw # 273 and on December 6th 2023, IRCC held its first Express Entry round of invitations since October, with 4,750 invitations sent to candidates in an all-program draw in # 272, for a total of three draws. For draw #272, the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) was 561. The CRS for draw #273 was 470 and 1000 ITA’s were issued for a targeted draw for French speakers Finally, draw #274, 5900 candidates with STEM backgrounds were invited if their CRS scores was 481.

These were the first draws since October 26, 2023. The reason being, some applicants were experiencing issues using the Express Entry Profile Builder and were unable to submit their applications. This was confirmed by IRCC in a tweet on November 14^th and then on November 16, the department followed up with a tweet saying the issue has been resolved. It’s unclear it was the reason for the extended gap in draws.

The earlier draw on October 26 and invited 3,600 candidates with a CRS score of 431 in a category-based selection draw for healthcare occupations

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is an application management system for three of Canada’s most prominent economic immigration pathways: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class.

Each Express Entry program has different eligibility criteria, but they all use the Comprehensive Ranking System to evaluate candidates and rank them alongside each other. It does this by assigning scores for individual human capital factors such as language ability, age, work experience, occupation, and education. Those with the highest CRS scores are the most likely to receive invitations to apply for status as a permanent resident in Canada.

Express Entry candidates who have received a provincial nomination are even more likely to receive an ITA. This is because Express Entry candidates who are also in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) automatically receive an additional 600 CRS points. This essentially guarantees a candidate an invitation.

Category-based selection

On May 31, IRCC introduced six new categories that may be eligible for category-based selection Express Entry draws. One is for Express Entry candidates who have strong French-speaking ability and the other five are for candidates who have work experience in one of the following sectors:

1. French Speakers;
2. Healthcare;
3. STEM professions;
4. Trades;
5. Transport; and
6. Agriculture and agri-food

Currently, there are over 271,370 applicants in the pool. Candidates who obtain the highest score are the most likely to receive ITA. If a candidate receives an ITA, they then have 60 days to submit their final application for permanent residency to IRCC. IRCC aims to process all Express Entry applications within six months.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact us via email at info@poonahimmigrationlaw.com for further information.