Canada invited 4,800 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residency in the first draw of June.
This invitation round had a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cutoff score of 486 points and was conducted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Following this draw, IRCC has now invited more than 50,000 Express Entry candidates for Canadian immigration in 2023.
This latest iteration of Canada’s periodic invitation rounds was an all-program draw, meaning applicants from all of Canada’s immigration programs were considered for an invitation to apply (ITA).
It was also the fourteenth draw held in 2023.
This latest round had a lower CRS threshold than the previous draw held on May 24, which had a cutoff score of 488 points.
Previously, IRCC held two invitation rounds in May, the first of which was a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw. Only 589 candidates were invited in that round.
PNP applicants are part of the Express Entry pool but additionally, they need to be nominated by a Canadian provincial government as well to qualify for the program.
The number of candidates invited so far in 2023 is significantly more than the number of invitations issued between July and November 2022.
IRCC also paused all-program draws until July 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
IRCC has said it will continue to hold all-program draws and program-specific draws as needed to fulfill Canada’s migration intake targets.
The Express Entry system was established in 2015 and it is Canada’s application management system that helps IRCC target skilled migrants for Canadian immigration.
Successful Express Entry candidates are invited to apply for permanent skilled migration to Canada.
Express Entry evaluates candidates belonging to three Canadian immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
Candidate profiles are given points according to Canada’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) on factors such as education, work experience, occupation, language ability and age.
The highest scoring candidates are selected in periodic invitation rounds and are invited to apply for permanent skilled migration to Canada by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
