Recently, the twelfth Express Entry draw of 2023 was held by IRCC, in which it issued a total of 589 ITAs (invitations to apply) in a PNP-specific draw.

The Express Entry candidates needed the least CRS score of 691.

The candidates of a Provincial Nominee Program, a PNP-specific draw, already exist in an Express Entry(EE) pool but also have a Canadian province nomination.

This PNP-specific draw is the fourth draw of this year, and the previous one occurred in March, inviting a total of 677 candidates. Since then, all Express Entry program candidates have been considered in all the draws.

Changes to the Proof of funds

Recently, IRCC made changes to the Proof of funds which were officially announced on May 2, 2023. All the Express Entry applicants must submit Proof of funds to show they have enough funds to settle in Canada.

However, the candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the EE candidates with a valid job offer or consent to work in Canada do not require to submit Proof of funds.

Additionally, the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Federal Skilled Trades Program applicants are also free from this Proof of funds requirement.

All the Express Entry candidates must now update their profiles to show they still meet the Proof of funds requirements to remain eligible for the program.

Usually, the Proof of funds is updated annually by the IRCC on the basis of 50% of the low-income cut-offs total. And it varies based on the total number of individuals a candidate can support.

 Overview of Express Entry in 2023

The previous EE draw was held on April 26, in which IRCC invited a total of 3500 candidates with a CRS score of 483.

In addition to this, 3500 candidates were also invited by IRCC in a draw held on April 12. The CRS score for that draw was 486.

The total number of candidates invited by IRCC in April in each draw was half the number of candidates invited in March in a single draw.

In March, IRCC invited more than 21000 candidates in four successive draws. Three of these draws invited 7000 candidates.

The total number of candidates invited in March was the second-highest number in the history of Express Entry.

In April, the draws schedule also returns to normal. The Express Entry draws were held every second week on Wednesday until late 2022 and throughout March 2023. Over March, the draws occurred weekly.

The draws in March and April also return to the standard all-program draws.

Previously in January and February, most draws were program specific for the PNP. But the first-ever program-specific draw was held by IRCC for the Federal Skilled Workers Program on February 2.

The Express Entry Program

The Express Entry (EE) program manages three economic immigration processes, including the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

Candidates are required to have work experience to apply for all three programs, but the eligibility criteria for each program are different.

If a candidate is eligible for any one of the programs, he/she can apply on the IRCC website.

The EE program includes the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which is used to assess candidates’ profiles. Candidates receive a CRS score based on their profiles. The CRS considers various factors when evaluating candidates’ profiles, such as age, education, occupation, language ability, work experience, and other human capital factors. Candidates with high CRS scores are likely to obtain an ITA for Canadian Permanent Residence. After receiving an ITA, candidates can submit a complete application within 60 days. After this, the application is reviewed by the immigration office to check whether the candidate is admissible.