IRCC invites 5,500 Express Entry candidates in second draw of 2023

The second Express Entry draw of the year was held in Canada today.

Invitations were sent to 5,500 applicants having a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 490 by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Since no specific programme was mentioned, qualified applicants from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program were all invited to apply (FSTP). All of these initiatives work with the Express Entry framework.

As the second Express Entry round of invitations in as many weeks, the draw was unexpected. On January 11, the IRCC had just completed a draw for which it had also invited 5,500 applicants. The CRS cut-off score decreased by 17 points between draws, falling to 507 for last week’s draw. The score for this draw was originally published by IRCC as 507, but it has now been changed to the accurate 490. The first drawing since November 23, 2022 was last week. Every two weeks on Wednesdays, Express Entry draws often take place. The IRCC has not explained why there was a break in draws during this time.