Express Entry Draw 235: On November 9, 2022, IRCC hosted its 10th all-program Express Entry draw to invite 4750 eligible candidates with a CRS cut-off score of 494. Since July 6, the CRS has continued to fall in the tenth all-program draw. 

In this latest Express Entry Draw, Canada invited candidates from the three economic class programs, i.e., Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Earlier, Express Entry all-program draws were stopped for nearly 18 months beginning in December 2020. Only CEC or Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applicants were invited to apply (ITAs) during the break. The draws were halted due to an application backlog created by COVID-19-related travel restrictions. IRCC also suspended CEC drawings in September 2021.

This is the second draw in a row to invite 4,750 applicants after the draw on October 26. The minimum CRS dropped by only two points, from 496 to 494, the lowest decline since all-program draws commenced.

WISA Times recently received IRCC statistics showing how many ITAs have been given across all Express Entry programs since draws started on July 6. Since July 6, Express Entry has invited a total of 31,000 applicants. The CEC accounts for the vast bulk (13,774). 

Eligible applicants in this program should:

  • already have lived or worked in Canada for at least one year within the last 36 months and 
  • have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 5 for NOC B jobs or CLB 7 for NOC skill level 0 or A employment.

The remaining invites are evenly divided between FSWP candidates (6,154) and Express Entry candidates (6322). Under the FSTP, no applicants have gotten invites.

The Immigration and Refugee Commission (IRCC) published the Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 on November 1. It serves as a guideline for all immigration programs and establishes objectives for the number of immigrants who will be awarded permanent residence status. The 2023-2025 strategy aims to bring in up to 500,000 additional permanent residents each year by the end of 2025.

Through Express Entry, 82,880 immigrants will be accepted to Canada as permanent residents in 2023. The aim for 2024 is 109,020, while the target for 2025 is 114,000, representing almost one-fifth of Canada’s overall immigration targets. These aims demonstrate Canada’s emphasis on economic immigration in light of the country’s chronic labour shortfall. Immigration provides for up to 90% of Canadian labour force growth and around 75% of population growth.

The Express Entry objectives are the second highest among economic immigration programs, after only the PNP.