By admin (May 21, 2024)

Invitations Were Sent to 699 PNP Candidates in the Fifth Express Entry Draw of 2023

Invitations were sent to 699 PNP candidates in the fifth Express Entry Draw of 2023, held by IRCC on 15th January. The cut-off Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score was 791.

This draw applied to Provincial Nominee Candidates only. Following the results on February 1 and February 2, this was the third draw in 2023 that was specific to a program. On 1 February, Invitations were sent only to the candidates who had already received the provincial nomination and the second draw on 2 February was specific to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).

The Draw Pattern has yet to Be Established

Usually, the draws of Express Entry are conducted every two weeks on Wednesday by IRCC. So far in 2023, there is a significant deviation in the draws, from the patterns established before the COVID-19 pandemic and the latter half of 2022. Some notable differences have been there in how draws are conducted since the first Express Entry draw on January 11.

For example, it was implied by IRCC that the draw on January 11 took place after an unexpected pause of 6 months due to an IT system glitch caused by the implementation of NOC 2021. The next draw took place only a week later, on January 18. On January 11, Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued were the same but with a significantly lower CRS score.

For the next draw on February 1, IRCC waited for 2 weeks, which occurred as expected. What made it unique was that it was not an all-program draw. Invitations to Apply were sent only to the candidates who had already received a nomination under a Provincial Nominee Program. Since July 2022, a PNP-only was not conducted by IRCC.

All program draws which had been paused by IRCC between January 2021 and July 2022 due to pandemic restrictions and border closures, were resumed at this point. The most recent draw was the next day on February 2, when invitations were issued to FSWP candidates by IRCC. It was significant as there has never been an FSWP-only draw since Express Entry began in 2015.

The number of candidates, CRS cut-off score, and when draws will occur are not dictated by any law in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Draws could take place once every several months or daily according to what the minister deems as the best way for meeting the economic priorities for Canada.

Express Entry

The application management system for three Canadian immigration programs, Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), is known as Express Entry. To rank the profiles of candidates, a point-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is used by Express Entry.

Top-scoring candidates who can apply for permanent residency receive ITAs. After the candidate applies, the application is reviewed by an IRCC officer and then he will decide whether the application can be approved or not. Once this is complete, the candidate will be a permanent resident of Canada.