Canada held a surprise Express Entry draw on March 23, deviating from the regular schedule, inviting 7,000 candidates to apply for permanent residence.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held an unexpected Express Entry draw on Thursday. The All Programs Express Entry draw processed 7,000 invitations to apply (ITAs). The draw tied with the largest ever All Programs Express Entry draw on March 15, which invited an equal number of candidates. The earlier record for the All Programs Express Entry draw was on January 18, which issued 5,500 ITAs.
The March 23 All Programs Express Entry draw has a CRS threshold of 484 points. The surprise Express Entry draw focused on candidates from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
Express Entry draws and PNPs to drive 2023 immigration
In 2023, Canada is targeting to welcome 465,000 new permanent residents. IRCC must focus on the Express Entry, and PNP draws to achieve record immigration targets for 2023. It aims at 82,880 Permanent Residence admissions through regular Express Entry draws and allocates an additional 105,500 new immigrants through various streams of Provincial Nominee Programs.
At the beginning of 2023, Canada had approximately 286,000 Post Graduation Work Permit holders. IRCC allowed an eighteen-month extension of Open Work Permit for PGWP holders because of the erratic schedule of Express Entry draws. The extension will help more PGWP holders explore the Express Entry selection process.
