Canada holds 1st Express Entry draw of 2023

Invitations were sent to 5,500 applicants having a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 507 by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program all sought qualified applicants (FSTP). All of these initiatives work with the Express Entry framework.

This draw is the largest all-program Express Entry draw since they commenced in July of last year, increasing the number of ITAs awarded. There were 750 more invitations than the draw on November 23, which invited 4,750 applicants. The CRS score was also higher than it had been since the draw on September 28.

The IRCC prepared the groundwork for the anticipated changes to Express Entry in 2023 throughout the second part of 2022. As an improved version of NOC 2016, for instance, IRCC implemented NOC 2021 in November. The profession and degree of skill of an Express Entry candidate are determined using the National Occupation Classification (NOC) system.

IRCC switched from classifying skills as 0-D level to one based on education, experience, training, and responsibilities (TEER). The NOC 2016 skill levels 0-E have been amended by the new TEER system, and five new TEERS have been developed as a result. 16 additional vocations are now eligible to apply for Express Entry-managed economic immigration programmes like the FSWP or CEC under NOC 2021.

Express Entry

Candidates who have previously submitted a profile to the IRCC Express Entry pool were given the opportunity to unilaterally change their NOCs to the new NOC 2021. Every position (job) shown on their IRCC profile has to be updated. Candidates will not be eligible to receive an Invitation to Apply if they do not comply with this (ITA).

According to the Immigration Levels Plan 2023–2025, which was published on November 1^st, Canada will also boost the number of applicants welcomed through Express Entry programmes. Through Express Entry, 82,880 immigrants will be granted permanent residency in Canada in 2023. This will rise to 109,020 in 2024 and 114,000 in 2025, or around one-fifth of Canada’s total targets for admissions of permanent residents.

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program all use Express Entry as their applicant management system (FSTP). Candidates for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in the Express Entry pool are already qualified for at least one of these schemes.

The Comprehensive Ranking Method (CRS), a points-based system used by Express Entry, ranks candidate profiles. The highest-scoring applicants are given an Invitation to Apply (ITA), after which they can submit a permanent residency application.

An IRCC official examines the application once the candidate submits it and determines whether or not to approve the candidate. The applicant will then be a permanent resident of Canada and one step closer to obtaining Canadian citizenship if this is successful.