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IRCCs First Express Entry Draw of April ’23, Continuing High Invitations Trend!

Nisha Uppal

April 12, 2023

𝑰𝑹𝑪𝑪 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒘 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒍, 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 3,500 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚.

The First Express Entry draw of April,'23 was held by Canada's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) inviting 3,500 candidates to apply for permanent residency in the country. It was a program draw under the Express Entry system, which includes the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and Federal Skilled Trades Program. The CRS score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited was 486.

After three consecutive draws in March '23, with 7,000 invites each, this latest Express Entry draw no 246 invited a lower number of candidates at 3,500 to apply for permanent residence in Canada but with a little higher CRS. It is worth noting that this year has seen more invitations to apply being issued than the total number issued throughout 2022.

In November 2022, IRCC introduced its most ambitious Immigration Levels Plan to date, outlining immigration targets for permanent residents across all lines of business over three years. This year, 82,880 people will obtain permanent resident status through Express Entry, rising to 114,000 annually by 2025.

In March, the Express Entry program had an exceptional month as IRCC invited 21,667 candidates in four draws, which was the second-highest monthly total since the program started in January 2015. The most candidates invited in a single month was in February 2021, when IRCC invited 27,332 candidates in a draw aimed at Canadian Experience Class candidates.

The current draw succeeds three of the largest Express Entry draws to have ever taken place. The first one was held on March 15 2023, which invited 7,000 candidates with a CRS score of 490. The next draw occurred on March 23, where another 7,000 candidates were invited, but with a slightly lower CRS score of 484. The third successive draw of 7,000 candidates was conducted on March 29, with a minimum CRS score of 481, bringing the total number of candidates invited to 21,000. Lastly, the remaining 667 candidates were invited on March 1 through a draw for candidates under the Provincial Nominee Program.


The pause in Express Entry after the NOC 2021 update in November has caused an increase in the number of candidates in the pool, leading to higher CRS cutoffs in recent months. Nonetheless, the larger and more frequent draws conducted by IRCC indicate that the department is making efforts to process the numerous Express Entry candidates in the pool.

𝑪𝑹𝑺 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 231,119 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒍 12, 2023:

𝗖𝗥𝗦 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲--------𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀
601-1200--------------------501
501-600---------------------1,180
451-500---------------------56,092
401-450---------------------61,379
351-400---------------------69,975
301-350---------------------36,419
0-300------------------------5,573

*The numbers mentioned reflect the total number of people in the pool overall, a few days before an invitation round. The score distribution may change as people submit new profiles and other profiles expire.

It's worth noting that if one had earned a Canadian degree, diploma or certificate and completed any part of the program of study or training between March 2020 and August 2022, then he/she is eligible for Canadian educational credential points even if they have completed the program entirely:
-- through distance learning;
-- from outside Canada; or
-- through part-time studies.


The CRS score will keep fluctuating and the candidates in the pool will benefit from the draws. We encourage you to get your eligibility for Canadian immigration assessed and get in the pool. Click below on "Start Your Journey" to provide your details for us to do an initial evaluation of your profile to help you guide better.

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