IRCC Invites 4,800 Candidates in Latest Express Entry Draw, Minimum CRS Score of 486 Required

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently conducted its fourteenth Express Entry draw of the year. In this latest draw, a total of 4,800 candidates were invited to apply for immigration under the Express Entry program.

Minimum CRS Score Requirement: 486

To be eligible for an invitation, candidates were required to have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 486. This draw marked the first one for the month of June, following the previous draw on May 24.

In the May 24 draw, 4,800 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 488 were invited to apply. Notably, this score was higher than the minimum CRS score requirement of 483 in the all-program draw that took place on April 26.

Category-Based Selection Draws to Commence in the Summer

IRCC has announced the introduction of six new category-based selection criteria for Express Entry candidates. These categories specifically target individuals with attributes that align with Canada’s economic goals. The categories are as follows:

1. Healthcare professionals
2. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals
3. Tradespeople, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
4. Transportation sector workers
5. Agriculture and agri-food workers
6. Candidates with strong French-speaking abilities

IRCC plans to commence category-based draws during the summer, although an exact date has not been specified. To be considered for an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in the targeted draws, candidates must be a part of the Express Entry pool.

IRCC will rank candidates who meet the category requirements and issue ITAs to those with the highest scores. Additionally, all program draws and program-specific draws will continue to be held as necessary.

Express Entry Statistics for 2023

In total, IRCC has invited 49,948 candidates across 13 draws in 2023, excluding the most recent draw. This figure represents a significant increase compared to the number of candidates invited between July and November 2022 when IRCC did not conduct any all-program draws due to the COVID-19 pandemic, inviting only 31,000 candidates.

Previous Draws and Highlights

May witnessed two Express Entry draws. The first draw, held on May 10, exclusively targeted Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates, inviting 589 individuals. These candidates were both in the Express Entry pool and nominated by a provincial government.

The April draws, on the other hand, were both all-program draws, each inviting 3,500 candidates. The April 12 draw required a CRS score of 346, while the April 26 draw had a higher minimum CRS score requirement of 483.

March stood out with the highest number of draws and candidates invited. Four draws took place, inviting a total of 21,677 candidates. Three of these draws were all-program, with 7,000 candidates invited to each. The remaining draw was exclusively for Provincial Nominee Program candidates and invited 667 individuals.

February featured four draws, all program-specific. Three draws targeted Provincial Nominee Program candidates, while the fourth draw was the first of its kind in Express Entry history, specifically for candidates in the Federal Skilled Worker Program. January saw two all-program draws, each inviting 5,500 candidates.

Understanding Express Entry

The Express Entry application management system was established in 2015 to facilitate the selection of highly skilled economic immigration candidates for permanent residence in Canada. The system employs the Comprehensive Ranking System to evaluate candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class.

It takes into account various factors such as work experience, occupation, language ability, education, age, and other transferable skills. Candidates with higher CRS scores are more likely to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.

Shifting Emphasis on CRS Scores

It is anticipated that later this year, IRCC will transition away from placing the most emphasis on high CRS scores. Instead, the focus will shift toward targeting candidates based on specific attributes that are in demand within Canada’s economy at that time.