The Express Entry (EE) organizes and processes applications for people who wish to immigrate to Canada and acquire Canadian permanent residence. Express Entry is not an immigration by itself, rather it’s an online system that manages applications sent to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) department. The system manages three Canadian immigration programs:
- Federal Skilled Workers (FSW)
- Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Candidate profiles under the Canadian Express Entry system are ranked against each other according to a point-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The candidates with the highest ranking scores in the Express Entry draw will be considered for an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence.
These invitations are issued by the federal government on a regular basis.
THE LATEST EXPRESS ENTRY DRAW 262 - AUGUST 15, 2023
The IRCC issued 4300 invitations to applicants in the Express Entry draw 262. Applicants having a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System Score (CRS) of 496 received an Invitation to Apply (ITA). Today’s express entry draw was an all program meaning candidates in Federal Skilled Trades (FST), Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) programs were considered. According to the tie-breaking rule, candidates who created their profile before August 01, 2023, at 12:59:52 UTC, were prioritized.
This Latest Express Entry draw is the 26th in 2023 and the second all programs draw in August. When compared to the previous all -program draw which took place on August 01, the number of ITAs issued has increased by 2300 and the CRS cut-off score has decreased by 21 points.
On August 03, the first ever skilled trades category-based Express Entry Draw took place, the minimum CRS score required was 388, which is one of the lowest scores in 2023, and 1500 ITAs were issued. The last draw which had the lowest CRS Score in 2023 was on July 12, it was a category-specific draw in French language proficiency, that invited 3800 and the score was 375.
What are Express Entry Category-Specific Draws
Express Entry category-based draws / occupation-specific draws are express entry draws that enable the IRCC to issue Letter Invitation to Apply (ITA) to candidates with talents, skills and jobs that are most in demand in Canada.
There are six new categories for which candidates may be eligible:
- Healthcare
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
- Trades such as carpenters, plumbers and contractors
- Transport
- Agriculture and agri-food
- Strong French-language proficiency
Additionally, category-specific draws can be helpful to candidates because the cut-off score in the selected categories can probably be lower than in all-program daws.
Applicants must have completed at least six months of continuous employment in one of the listed occupations within the previous three years in order to qualify under the category-specific categories. You can obtain this experience in Canada or abroad.
