By admin (May 21, 2024)
First Federal Skilled Workers-only Express Entry Draw held in Canada
First Federal Skilled Workers-only Express Entry draw held in Canada under which 3,300 candidates were issued Invitations to Apply (ITA) by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
There was a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 489. 4th Express Entry draw of Express Entry held on 2nd February which was only applicable to candidates in the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).
Draw specific to FSWP held first time in the history of Express Entry since its formation in 2015. Following the results on February 1, this was the second program specific draw of 2023, in which only candidates who had already received provincial nomination obtained an ITA.
Express Entry in 2023
Express Entry draws typically take place every two weeks on Wednesdays. Since Express Entry was established in 2015, draws in 2023 have deviated from the routine. On January 11, the first draw of this year occurred after an unexpected 6-week pause following the draw on November 23. 5,500 candidates were invited on January 11 with minimum CRS score of 507.
Since all-program draws resumed after an 18-month pandemic hiatus between December 2020 and July 2022, it was the highest number of candidates with the lowest cut-off score. On January 18, there was another draw that invited same number of candidates but with a much lower minimum CRS score of 490. As IRCC does not usually issues ITAs to candidates in consecutive weeks, this draw came as a surprise.
IRCC holds Express Entry Draw for only PNP Candidates
The February 1 draw took place most recently, after an expected two-week pause but was the first draw since June 2022 that invited only Express Entry candidates who had received a provincial nomination. Even before the pandemic, it is not usual for IRCC to hold program-specific draws.
Since the all-program draws pause during the Covid-19 pandemic, IRCC has not held a PNP only Express Entry draw. Express Entry draws continued for candidates in the Express Entry pool who had already received Provincial Nomination during the pause. Additional 600 CRS points are automatically received by the candidates nominated by a province on their Express Entry application.
What can be expected next?
Following the royal assent of Bill C-19, Express Entry is likely to change this year. Authority is provided to immigration minister as per the new law, to fill urgent gaps in the labour force and meet Canada’s economic priorities.
Draws are expected to be held by IRCC that target specific attributes rather than issuing based solely on CRS scores. IRCC completed the public consultations on what the new attribute-based categories could look like, recently. Candidate attributes could range from education, occupation, work experience or language ability. The department says that before the draws, new categories will be announced.