Candidates for the eighth Express Entry draw of 2023 have just been invited by IRCC.
7,000 applicants received invitations to apply (ITAs) from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in an all-program draw with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 484. Candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program are taken into consideration in an all-program draw. (FSTP).
This draw's size is equal to that of the largest-ever all-program draw, held on March 15 and attended by 7,000 additional applicants. Candidates needed at least 490 CRS to be eligible for that draw. The IRCC invited 5,500 candidates for the January 18 all-program draw, setting the previous record high.
All of the draws took place between July and November 2022 and only 1,500 candidates were invited to the smallest draw on July 6. After an 18-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the first all-program draw.
Early Express Entry draws in 2023 primarily targeted participants in the Provincial Nominee Program. (PNP). This year has seen four PNP-only Express Entry draws, the most recent of which took place on March 1 and invited 667 PNP applicants. Prior to this, on February 2, there were three additional PNP draws and one that was specifically for Federal Skilled Worker Program applicants. However, it seems that IRCC is now going back to its standard practice of taking into account every applicant in the Express Entry pool.
Immigration ministers support the PNP levels plan for the long term.
Provincial immigration ministers recently met as part of the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration (FMRI) to talk about shared concerns and strategies for bringing in and keeping more immigrants.
The meeting's adoption of the first, multi-year provincial immigration plan was one of its outcomes. This will function similarly to the three-year immigration targets set forth by the federal Immigration Levels Plan. The provinces can now plan for housing and infrastructure needs to better support and retain newcomers because they will know their allocation of provincial nominations in advance.
Following the meeting, some provinces declared that the PNP allocations for this year would be higher than those for 2022. For instance, the allocation for Ontario, the largest province in Canada, will increase to 18,000 spots in 2025. Saskatchewan will receive an allocation of 7,250 nominees in 2023, rising to 8,500 in 2025, while Manitoba's allocation for 2023 has increased by 3,175 spaces over 2022 to 9,500.
Alberta will also experience a notable increase in allocations for 2023, going from 6,500 spaces in 2022 to 9,750 spaces in 2023. Similar to Saskatchewan, allocations will rise over the following two years and reach as high as 10,849 by 2025. Data on the anticipated number of PNP allocations for other provinces has not yet been made public.
Getting a provincial nomination will increase an express entry candidate's chances of getting an ITA. (a process known as enhanced nomination). A candidate's CRS score is automatically increased by 600 points when they are nominated by a province as an Express Entry candidate, effectively ensuring that they will receive an ITA for permanent residence.
Candidates for economic immigration who are not part of Express Entry can still receive a nomination from a province. (base nomination). Additionally, it might help a candidate's application for citizenship.
IRCC provides an additional PGWP extension
Many Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holders seeking permanent residence received a reprieve from IRCC last week. PGWP holders will receive an 18-month Open Work Permit extension, which they can apply for on the IRCC website starting on April 6, as a result of the recent irregularities in Express Entry draws that have harmed PGWP holders eligible under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Immigration Minister Sean Fraser made the announcement in response to these issues. The number of PGWP holders who can apply for Express Entry ITAs will increase as a result. At the end of 2022, according to IRCC, there were approximately 286,000 PGWP holders in Canada.
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