IRCC Sends Record 7,000 ITAs in All-Program Express Entry Draw

On March 15, 2023, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the largest all-program Express Entry draw ever, issuing a record-breaking 7,000 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residency (PR) through the “no program specified” draw. Only Express Entry profiles with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores of 490 or above were considered, and candidates who scored the minimum CRS score were included only if they had submitted their profiles before February 16, 2023, 10:33:06 UTC, based on the tie-break rule.

The no program specified draw includes all profiles from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), as well as profiles with a provincial nomination. The next all-program draw is expected to have a cut-off score around 485, based on the CRS score distribution of Express Entry pool applicants as of March 15, 2023. For a PNP-only draw, the expected cut-off score is 671.

The IRCC plans to start holding targeted Express Entry draws with new suggested categories after the first quarter of 2023.

Latest Express Entry Processing Times

As of March 14, 2023, the processing times for all three categories of Express Entry have increased.

• The Canadian Experience Class now has a processing time of 12 months.
• The Federal Skilled Worker Program has a processing time of 30 months.
• The Federal Skilled Trades Program has a processing time of 70 months.
• The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) via Express Entry has a processing time of 11 months.

Here are the key points about the Canada Express Entry system:

• The Express Entry system is the fastest and easiest way to get Canadian permanent residency.
• After receiving an invitation to apply (ITA) and submitting the required documents, the processing time is typically 6 months.
• The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is used to rank candidate profiles based on a points-based approach.
• Candidates with scores above the CRS cutoff in a draw receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency.
• The Express Entry system manages applications for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
• Candidates with a provincial nomination and a profile in one of the above-mentioned programs get an additional 600 points in the Express Entry pool.