Canada holds back-to-back record-breaking draws
Canada usually holds Express Entry draws every two weeks—but not today!
On January 18, Canada held an Express Entry draw, matching in size the record-breaking all-program draw from just seven days ago. All-program means that the draw considered candidates in all Express Entry programs: Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades (FST). In the January 18 Express Entry draw for immigration to Canada, 5,500 candidates were issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score cut-off threshold for this draw was 490 points.
Note: When this draw was first published to the IRCC website, the CRS score cut-off was incorrectly listed as 507 points. IRCC has since updated the cut-off to 490 points.
Why were there two draws in a row?
Although Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) typically holds draws every two weeks, there is no obligation to stick to this schedule. IRCC can veer from it without notice or explanation.
As such, no explanation was given, but we can speculate that it had something to do with the seven-week pause.
Express Entry draws resumed last week on January 11. Before that, there hadn’t been a draw since November 23.
Although we don’t know why the pause happened, we know that on November 16, 2022, IRCC switched the entire Canadian immigration system, including Express Entry, to the new 2021 National Occupational Classification Codes (NOC Codes). Following the change, on November 23, a broad range of glitches were reported by Express Entry candidates, including candidates not receiving an invitation despite having the requisite score. It is possible that IRCC paused Express Entry draws in order to fix the issues with the system before inviting more candidates.
Canada aims to admit 465,000 new permanent residents this year. A total of 82,880 admissions are expected through regular Express Entry streams and an additional 105,500 through all Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams, including those aligned with Express Entry.
In order to meet 2023’s record-high immigration targets, IRCC will need to continue inviting Express Entry applicants in their inventory, so it could be a big year for Express Entry and PNP invitations. New draw numbers will be posted to this page as soon as they become available.
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View Recent Express Entry Draw Results
| Date | Number of invitations to apply issued | Minimum CRS points required | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draw 236 | Nov 23 | 4,750 | 491 *All programs considered |
| Draw 235 | Nov 9 | 4,750 | 494 *All programs considered |
| Draw 234 | Oct 26 | 4,750 | 496 *All programs considered |
| Draw 233 | Oct 12 | 4,250 | 500 *All programs considered |
| Draw 232 | Sept 28 | 3,750 | 504 *All programs considered |
| Draw 231 | Sept 14 | 3,250 | 510 *All programs considered |
| Draw 230 | Aug 31 | 2,750 | 516 *All programs considered |
| Draw 229 | Aug 17 | 2,250 | 525 *All programs considered |
| Draw 228 | Aug 3 | 2,000 | 533 *All programs considered |
| Draw 227 | July 20 | 1,750 | 542 *All programs considered |
| Draw 226 | July 6 | 1,500 | 557 *All programs considered |
| Draw 225 | June 22 | 636 | 752 *PNP-specific draw |
| Draw 224 | June 8 | 932 | 796 *PNP-specific draw |
| Draw 223 | May 25 | 589 | 741 *PNP-specific draw |
| Draw 222 | May 11 | 545 | 753 *PNP-specific draw |
| Draw 221 | Apr 27 | 829 | 772 *PNP-specific draw |
| Draw 220 | Apr 13 | 787 | 782 *PNP-specific draw |
| Draw 219 | Mar 30 | 919 | 785 *PNP-specific draw |
| Draw 218 | Mar 16 | 924 | 754 *PNP-specific draw |
| Draw 217 | Mar 2 | 1,047 | 761 *PNP-specific draw |
| Draw 216 | Feb 16 | 1,082 | 710 *PNP-specific draw |
| Draw 215 | Feb 2 | 1,070 | 674 *PNP-specific draw |
| Draw 214 | Jan 19 | 1,036 | 745 *PNP-specific draw |
| Draw 213 | Jan 5 | 392 | 808 *PNP-specific draw |
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CRS score distribution of candidates in the Express Entry pool as of January 18, 2022
The following table shows the recent distribution of candidates in the Express Entry pool. As of January 18, there were a total of 240,013 candidates in the Express Entry pool. The score distribution may change as people submit new profiles and other profiles expire.
Want to improve your Express Entry CRS score? See our updated guide for tips you might not have thought of yet.
