Recently, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the 14th Express Entry draw of 2023 and invited 4,800 candidates. This was an all-program draw and required a minimum CRS score of 486 to be eligible for the EE.

The draw follows the recent May 24 all-program draw in which IRCC invited 4,800 with a least CRS score of 488, and it was the first draw of June 2023.

Compared to the CRS score requirement of the April 26 all-program draw (483), the required CRS score of the May 24 draw was higher.

The category-based selection draws expected to start this summer.

IRCC, on May 31, announced the launch of six new category-based selections for the Express Entry Stream.

The new selection categories for EE focus on candidates with particular attributes that can support the economic objectives of Canada.

Five of those new categories require work experience in the below-mentioned fields:

  • healthcare;
  • transport;
  • agriculture and agri-food;
  • trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors; and
  • science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions.

The sixth new category is for candidates who are proficient in French.

IRCC is anticipating beginning the new category-based draws this summer, but the department has not yet revealed the exact date.

The candidates who expect to obtain ITAs in the specific draws must be present in the Express Entry pool.

According to IRCC, the Express Entry candidates who satisfy the category requirements will still be considered, and candidates with the highest CRS score will obtain ITAs.

In addition, IRCC mentions that the department will continue to organize the program-specific and all program draws as required.

Express Entry program’s overview of 2023

In 2023, IRCC invited 49,948 candidates over the last 13 draws, excluding the most recent draw. The total number of candidates is already higher than those invited between July and November last year (31,000).

Following a pause due to covid 19 and until July 2022, IRCC did not organize any all-program draw.

In May, IRCC held two EE draws. The first draw was a PNP-only draw which, which was held on May 10 and invited 589 candidates.

In April, two draws took place, which were an all-program draw and invited 35,00 candidates. The CRS score for the April 12 draw was 346, whereas for the April 26 draw was 483.

The month of March was exceptional in holding the number of draws and inviting a number of candidates. In March, IRCC held four draws and invited 21,677 candidates. The three draws were all program draws in which 7,000 candidates were invited in each draw. One draw was a PNP-only draw and invited 677 candidates.

There were four draws in February, but each draw was program-specific.

The three draws were for PNP candidates, and the fourth one was for the Federal Skilled Worker Program’s candidates. In January, IRCC held two all-program draws and invited 5,500 candidates in each draw.

What is the EE stream?

IRCC started Canada’s Express Entry Program in 2015 with the aim of targeting high-skilled economic candidates for Canadian permanent residence.

The EE program employs the CRS or Comprehensive Ranking System to assess the candidates from the following three different programs:

The following aspects of a candidate are evaluated for the EE program, including age, education, work experience, occupation, language command, and others. Candidates with the highest CRS score are most likely to obtain an ITA for permanent residence.

Later this year, IRCC is expecting to shift its focus from the high CRS score to targeting the candidates on the basis of specific attributes that are in demand at present and add value to Canada’s economy.