Generally, the IRCC conducts the Express Entry draws once in two weeks. However, IRCC is not following this parameter of conducting draws in 2023. This year, the IRCC is operating the draws in a row. The first draw of this year was held on January 11, and the second on January 18 in consecutive weeks.
The IRCC unveiled its third Express Entry draw on February 1, 2023. In this draw, 893 ITAs were released to the PNP candidates present in the Express Entry. And the minimum CRS score was 733. All the candidates from the PNP program meeting the minimum CRS score were invited to apply for Canadian PR.
This was the first program-specific draw since the IRCC resumed conducting draws in July 2022. From July 2022 to Jan 20233, the IRCC sent the invitation to apply to all eligible candidates in the Express Entry pool. In these draws, candidates without the PNP nomination were invited from all three economic programs under the Express Entry.
Candidates who received the ITAs in this draw already had the nomination from the province or territory. The core objective of PNPs is to assist the Canadian provinces and territories in nominating candidates who can contribute to their workforce and population. For example, Quebec comes as a province where French is more prevalent than English. Therefore, Quebec hunts for candidates having a strong grip on the French.
Every province and territory has PNP streams connected with the Express Entry System instead of Quebec and Nunavut. Once the candidate has received the nomination from any territory/ province, 600 CRS points will be added to their express entry profile. In this latest Express Entry program, candidates needed a minimum of 133 CRS points without nomination to be qualified.
On November 1, 2022, Mr. Sean Fraser presented the latest immigration plan for the upcoming three years. According to the latest immigration plan, Canada aims to bring around 1.5 new immigrants to its country by the end of 2025. Bringing more newcomers will help to fill the existing labor gap and grow economically & socially. Therefore, the IRCC is operating the draws quickly to accomplish the targets.
Express Entry Journey through Recent Draws and Changes
The IRCC didn’t operate any draw for six consecutive weeks. The last draw was conducted on November 23, 2022, and resumed on January 11, 2023. After resuming the draws, the IRCC came up with two draws in two consecutive weeks. The IRCC usually operates the draw once every two weeks.
The concerned immigration authorities, IRCC, also stated that the pause of six weeks was due to a glitch in the EE system. The glitch in the system occurred due to the execution of NOC 2021 on November 16, 2022.
The first draw after resolving the technical issue that occurred due to the integration of NOC 2021 took place on January 11, 2023. In this first draw of 2023, the IRCC sent invitations to the 5,500 EE candidates meeting a minimum CRS score of 507. The IRCC conducted one more EE draw next week, on January 18, 2023, which was a surprise draw. In the second, the number of issued ITAs was similar to the 1st draw but with a CRS score of 490.
The IRCC didn’t come up with any draw from December 2020 to July 2022 for three economic programs of the EE. However, the IRCC sent the ITAs to the PNP candidates during this long pause as well. At present, IRCC hopes to conduct regular draws to accomplish immigration targets.
The IRCC started the Express Entry System in 2015. The primary objective of initiating the EE is to find skilled workers without hassle. The EE system enables the government to bring skilled workers who can be incorporated into the workforce easily. Immigrants are responsible for 90% of the workforce and 75% of population growth in Canada.
If you are planning to immigrate somewhere in 2023, Canada can be your desired destination. Canada has got 100+ immigration pathways through which you can move to Canada. Also, Canada offers a wide range of perks to its permanent residents, such as free universal healthcare, high safety, social benefits, etc.
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