On September 14, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 3,250 invitations to apply in the most recent Express Entry draw, the sixth since all-program draws resumed on July 6. The minimum cut off Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score was 511. There was no program specified for the draw, meaning that invitations were issued to candidates from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). Express Entry is one of the most prominent pathways for immigrating to Canada.

1. Canada holds sixth all-program
Express Entry draw since July
CRS scores continues to decline as the number of ITAs
increases.

2. On September 14, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 3,250 invitations to apply
in the most recent Express Entry draw, the sixth since all-program draws resumed on July 6.
The minimum cut off Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score was 511. There was no program
specified for the draw, meaning that invitations were issued to candidates from the Canadian
Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades
Program (FSTP). Express Entry is one of the most prominent pathways for immigrating to Canada.
Until the last draw on August 31, the number of candidates receiving ITAs grew by 250 with each draw.
Last week saw a marked increase of 500 ITAs and today’s draw is a continuation of that trend. There has
also been a gradual decline in the minimum CRS score, which has lost between eight or nine points each
draw. However, this draw is different as there was only a five-point decrease. The minimum CRS score in
the July 6 draw was 557.
IRCC paused all-program Express Entry draws for over 18 months, starting in December 2020. During this
time, only candidates eligible for permanent residence under the CEC or the Provincial Nominee
Program (PNP) were invited to apply. However, CEC draws were also paused in September 2021.
Canada is on track to welcome nearly 432,000 immigrants
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has recently said that by the end of 2022 Canada will break its current
record of 405,330 new immigrants in a year. As of the end of June, Canada has already welcomed over
300,000 new permanent residents in 2022.
So far this year Canada has welcomed 40,785 immigrants through Express Entry. It is possible that if
immigration continues at its current speed, Canada could even exceed the 2022 Immigration Levels Plan
target of nearly 432,000.
To facilitate these numbers, IRCC has undertaken measures such as making the application process
100% digital as well as hiring an additional 1,250 new staff members.
Canada continues to push for more immigration as it tries to cope with a historically low unemployment
rate as well as over one million job vacancies. The increased amount of retirement over the next decade,
combined with a low birth rate, means Canada is not able to support the labour force or economy
without immigration.
Changes coming in 2023
To better target gaps in the labour force, IRCC plans to make a major change to Express Entry in 2023.
Most notably, these changes would give the department authority to issue ITAs to individuals with
specific work experience, education, or language ability. It could be any candidate from groups they
believe will be well-positioned to support Canada’s economy and labour force. This will have an impact
on the relevance of CRS scores in some instances and they may become less vital in some future draws.
In June, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser explained the rationale for this proposal while on stage at
Collision, a technology conference, stating “If we can project skills that are needed over the next 20 to
30 years, we can bring people who can hit the ground running and make a major economic impact.”

3. What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is the application management system for three Canadian immigration programs: the
Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled
Trades Program (FSTP). Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates in the Express Entry pool are
already eligible for at least one of these programs.
Express Entry uses a points-based system, the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), to rank candidates’
profiles. The top-scoring candidates receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and can then apply for
permanent residency.
After the candidate applies, an IRCC officer reviews the application and makes a decision. The officer will
ask for biometrics and may set up an interview or request more documents. Once this is complete, if
approved, the candidate is now a permanent resident of Canada and one step closer to becoming a
Canadian citizen.
If you are looking for more information about immigrating to Canada please call me.
Contact No.: 011 41673029 | Mail Id: info@esseindia.com
Address: Building No.5, 3rd Floor, Kehar Singh Estate, Westend Marg, Lane-2 Saidulajab, Saket, New
Delhi, 110030