The IRCC announced the 10th Express Entry draw of 2023 on 12 April 2023. This draw comes after three successive Express Entry draws in which 7,000 individuals were invited. The total number of invited candidates was 21,000 through these three consecutive draws. All these draws were all-program draws where candidates from the FSWP, FSTP, and CEC were considered. The CRS fluctuated between these draws with the same number of invited candidates.
The latest Express Entry Draw that took place on 12 April sent Invitations to Apply to 3,500 candidates. Candidates from all three Express Entry programs meeting a minimum CRS score of 486 received the ITA to apply for a Canadian PR visa. This Express Entry draw was an all-program draw. An all-program draw is a type of draw where candidates from FSWP, FSTP, and CEC are considered.
Within 4 months of 2023, the Canadian government has already invited more candidates than in the whole of the year 2022.
The immigration minister, MR. Sean Fraser came up with the latest immigration plan in November 2022. Within the span of 3 years, the Canadian government aims to bring 1.5 million new immigrants to Canada through different programs. This year, the Canadian government has a stringent plan to invite 82,880 candidates through Express Entry. And these numbers will reach 114,000 in 2025.
Due to the low birth rate & growing aging population, Canada aims to invite more immigrants to meet its demographic and economic requirements. Immigrants make up a big proportion of the Canadian economy. Therefore, Canada is looking for skilled workers as immigrants who can contribute to economic development.
March 2023: An out-of-the-ordinary month for the Express Entry
March has been a month of miracles for the Express Entry. In the month of March, the IRCC came up with a total of 4 Express Entry draws. The total number of invited candidates was 21,667 over these 4 draws. March 2023 recorded the second-highest monthly total since the inception of the Express Entry System in 2025. February 2021 was the month of setting the record for issuing the highest number of ITAs. In February 2021, the number of invited candidates was 27,332.
Before this draw, three consecutive draws invited a total of 21,000 candidates, 7000 in each.
The IRCC has been following a strict pattern of conducting draws since 2015. According to this pattern, the IRCC conducts a draw once every two weeks. A draw could be all-program or program-specific. However, in 2023, the IRCC is not sticking to this pattern of conducting draws. Maybe, the IRCC is following this pattern to meet its historic-high immigration targets.
Extend Post-Graduation Work Permit for 18 Months
The large Express Entry draws can be highly beneficial for the candidates applying for PR visas via the CEC category under the Express Entry. In this category, many of the candidates are those whose post-graduation work permits are going to hit an expiry soon.
To overcome and address this issue, the immigration minister, MR. Sean Fraser said that PGWP holders can apply for an extension of their work permit for 18 months from 6 April 2023.
After completing post-graduation in Canada, international students can apply for a post-graduation work permit. A post-graduation work permit is a type of work permit that allows students to work for any eligible Canadian employer. During the work permit duration, if you apply for a PR visa and don’t get ITA, you won’t be eligible to apply for a PR visa. However, from 6 April, PGWP holders can apply for an extension of their work permits if they don’t get ITAs.
If immigrating to Canada on a PR visa is your dream, we are here to help you out. We at Dynamic Group have been working in this domain for the last 47 years. We offer you thorough assistance in picking up the right immigration pathway, documentation, and reviewing the application. Contact us to know your eligibility for a Canada PR visa by calling us at 011-411-70411 or send your queries to consultation@dss-hr.com
