IRCC Conducts Fifth Express Entry Draw of 2023: Invites 699 Candidates

Today, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the fifth Express Entry draw of 2023, inviting 699 candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 790.

This draw was exclusive to candidates enrolled in the Provincial Nominee Program, marking the third program-specific draw of 2023 after February 1 and February 2. The February 1 draw was open to applicants who had already received provincial nominations, whereas the February 2 draw focused on the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).

Express Entry draws typically occur every two weeks on Wednesdays. However, the draws conducted in 2023 have exhibited significant variations from the patterns established before the COVID-19 pandemic and in the latter half of 2022.

Since the first Express Entry draw of this year on January 11, there have been several noticeable differences in how the draws are conducted. For example, the January 11 draw took place after an unexpected six-week pause, which IRCC implied was due to an IT system glitch caused by the implementation of NOC 2021.

The subsequent draw took place only a week later, on January 18. The number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued was the same as that of January 11, but the CRS score requirement was significantly lower.

About the Express Entry CRS

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is a 1,200-point scale used to compare applicants for federal economic worker program to each other. It is part of the Express Entry system created in January 2015 to process Canadian permanent residency applications. This score will be used as a cut-off point in the Express Entry draw. It is designed to predict a candidate’s chances of economic success in Canada.

Eligibility to enter the pool

To enter the pool, applicants must meet the requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Canadian Experience Class, or Federal Skilled Occupations Class. Applicants receiving provincial nominations through one of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams associated with Express Entry will receive an additional 600 CRS and ITA points on the following date.