Express Entry Draw 233: Since July 6, this was the eighth all-program draw held on October 12, 2022. In this draw, IRCC invited a total of 4,250 applicants with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 500. Candidates were eligible for invites under all the Express Programs, i.e., the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Express Entry all-program draws have been halted for more than 18 months, beginning in December 2020. Only CEC or Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applicants were invited to apply (ITAs) during the break (ITAs). The draws were halted due to an application backlog created by COVID-19-related travel restrictions. IRCC also banned CEC drawings in September 2021.
Today’s draw continues the trend of decreasing CRS scores. Reducing the CRS score improves the number of individuals eligible for ITAs through Express Entry. Since the draw commenced on July 6, this has been the pattern. The score for that draw was 557, and each of the first five drawings dropped by eight or nine points. The most recent draws witnessed a six-point decline on September 14 and 28.
As part of the Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024, IRCC hopes to meet its objective of 432,000 new permanent residents. Each year, IRCC announces a new immigration plan that mentions the number of immigrants Canada expects to receive over the next three years and further breaks it down into each immigration class and program. The Immigration Levels Plan for 2022 anticipates 55,900 additional permanent residents through Express Entry.
Between January and August 31, Canada welcomed slightly more than 28,000 new permanent residents via Express Entry programs. This year, a new Immigration Levels Plan is likely to be released on November 1. Canada has also reduced some hurdles that impede physicians currently living and working as temporary residents in Canada from applying for Express Entry programs.
Physicians were not eligible since most of Canada’s medical system operates on a “fee-for-service” paradigm, which differs from a standard employer/employee relationship. In a technical sense, this means that physicians are self-employed. Self-employed job experience obtained in Canada is ineligible for inclusion in an Express Entry application.
Being self-employed does not automatically disqualify an applicant. If applicants have at least one year of foreign or Canadian work experience, they may qualify for the Express Entry program. The exemption for physicians is one of the first Express Entry adjustments to be implemented in 2023. Bill C-19, which received Royal Assent in Parliament in June, will give IRCC more authority to target Express Entry candidates based on specific work experience, education, or language abilities, as opposed to the current system of issuing ITAs to a wide range of candidates solely based on their CRS scores.
