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 268 - OCTOBER 10, 2023
The IRCC issued 3725 invitations to applicants in the Express Entry draw 268, which was the first-ever Agriculture and agri-food occupations category-based draw. Applicants having a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System Score (CRS) of 500 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), Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), and Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) were considered. According to the tie-breaking rule, candidates who created their profile before October 02, 2023, at 15:25:30 UTC were prioritized.
Today’s EE draw is the first draw in October and is no-program specific. The last all program draw took place on September 26, 2023, this round of invitations had 3000 candidates who received the letter to apply for permanent residence and the cut-off score was 504.
This no-program specific draw comes after the Agriculture and Agri-food draw that took place on September 28, 2023 were 600 candidates were issued ITA. Today’s draw CRS score is 146 higher when compared to the last draw.
Has IRCC held all category-based draws?
Yes, IRCC has now held all the category-based draws in 2023.
Do i have a higher chance to immigrate to Canada through Category-based Draws?
Yes, candidates in the express entry pool have a higher chance to move to Canada through category-based draws because the minimum CRS score in the selected categories can probably be lower than in all-program daws.
| Draw | Date | Program | No of Issued ITA | MIN CRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 268 | October 10, 2023 | All Programs | 3725 | 500 |
| 267 | September 28, 2023 | Agriculture & Agri-food | 600 | 354 |
| 266 | September 27, 2023 | French Language | 500 | 472 |
| 265 | September 26, 2023 | All Programs | 3000 | 504 |
| 264 | September 20, 2023 | Transport Occupations | 1000 | 435 |
| 263 | September 19, 2023 | All Programs | 3200 | 531 |
| 262 | August 15, 2023 | All Programs | 4300 | 496 |
| 261 | August 03, 2023 | Category-Specific | 1500 | 388 |
| 260 | August 02, 2023 | Category-Specific | 800 | 435 |
| 259 | August 01, 2023 | All Programs | 2000 | 517 |
| 258 | July 12, 2023 | Category-Specific | 3800 | 375 |
What are Express Entry Category-Based Selection 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.
