2023 Express Entry Year In Review

Canada’s Express Entry application management system has undergone considerable revisions as of 2023.

Following the 18-month break in the Express Entry draw, many of the patterns set in 2022 were still in place in the first part of 2023. Draws were made for the entire program, only for the Provincial Nominee Program, or, in one case, just for Federal Skilled Workers.

Draws happened every two weeks on average, but occasionally they happened more regularly. Notably, in March 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited over 21,000 applicants for Express Entry in four draws. the second-highest monthly invitation total for Express Entry hopefuls ever.

Category-based selection rounds of invitations

Six new Express Entry draw categories were launched by the IRCC in May. This was anticipated in light of the June 2022 amendment to the Immigrant and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) that gives the immigration minister the power to grant ITAs to applicants based on particular qualifications rather than a high CRS score in its entirety.

The IRCC’s missions to promote French outside of Quebec and use immigration to bolster Canada’s labor force and economy are being met in part by the candidates who fall under the new categories. These are the categories:

• Healthcare
• Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
• Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
• Transport
• Agriculture and agri-food
• Strong French proficiency

On June 28, the first category-based draw was held, inviting 500 healthcare professionals to submit applications. Since then, the IRCC has selected candidates for Express Entry based on categories and invited almost 16,000 of them.

Draw Types

Most of the 42 draws in 2023 were all-program draws, meaning that applicants from the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Federal Skilled Worker Program were taken into consideration. However, in 2023, the IRCC did not provide any ITAs to candidates for the FSTP.

Nineteen Express Entry draws were all-program, five were restricted to PNP, one to FSWP, and the remaining seventeen were based on category selection.

CRS Score

According to recent IRCC data, the majority of Express Entry candidates who were granted an ITA between January and September 2023 had CRS scores ranging from 501 to 600 (11,640), with the majority having scores between 451 and 500 (26,070). 

12,590 more people had CRS scores ranging from 900 to 1,200, which is the highest attainable number. These were most likely candidates who had been nominated via the PNP, which raises a candidate’s CRS score by 600 points.

The lowest CRS for an all-program draw, based on draw type, was 481 on March 29, when 7,000 candidates were given ITAs. On December 6, when 4,750 candidates from around the program obtained ITAs, the highest number was 561.

In draws for Provincial Nominee Program-only candidates, the highest CRS score among ITA-receiving candidates was 791 on February 15 in a draw for 699 candidates. On May 10, in a draw for 589 PNP candidates, the lowest score was 691.

On February 2, there was a single draw for 3,300 applicants seeking Federal Skilled Workers with a CRS of at least 489.

With a score of 354 on September 28, candidates in the single draw for agriculture and agri-food occupations had the lowest score among category-based selection rounds of invites. 600 individuals were asked to apply by IRCC.

This year, there were two instances of the highest category-based score. ITAs were sent to 500 applicants in STEM fields who scored at least 486 on July 5. On October 25, ITAs were awarded to 300 candidates who met the same minimal score in a draw for French language proficiency.

Frequency of draws

Express Entry draws were held every two weeks, and occasionally every week, between January and June.

When category-based selection draws were used, it became increasingly challenging to forecast when the IRCC would issue ITAs. However, according to ministerial directives, there has been a trend since July of having one week per month with three or four different Express Entry draw between Tuesday and Thursday.

There were seven draws between December 6 and December 21 in December, which was the highest volume of draws. From July 4 to July 12, there were five draws with the second-highest volume. There were four draws in October and five draws in two weeks in September as well. Once more, all three of them happened in a single week.

The period from October 26 to December 6 had no draws. Although the IRCC could not explain, there are several potential explanations, including a persistent IT malfunction, personnel concerns, or the department surpassing the Express Entry goals for the year as specified in the Immigration Levels Plan.

Summary of Express Entry draw since June 2023

Date	Draw Type	Number of ITAs	Minimum CRS
Dec 19	Trade occupations	1,000	425
Dec 18	All-program	1,325	542
Dec 8	STEM occupations	5,900	481
Dec 7	French language proficiency	1,000	470
Dec 6	All-program	4,750	561
Oct 26	Healthcare occupations	3,600	431
Oct 25	French language proficiency	300	486
Oct 24	PNP-only	1,548	776
Oct 10	All-program	3,725	500
Sept 28	Agriculture and agri-food occupations	600	354
Sept 27	French language proficiency	500	472
Sept 26	All-program	3,000	504
Sept 20	Transport occupations	1,000	435
Sept 19	All-program	3,200	531
Aug 15	All-program	4,300	496
Aug 3	Trade occupations	1,500	388
Aug 2	French language proficiency	800	435
Aug 1	All-program	2,000	517
July 12	French language proficiency	3,800	375
July 11	All-program	800	505
July 7	French language proficiency	2,300	439
July 6	Healthcare occupations	1500	463
July 5	STEM occupations	500	486
July 4	All-program	700	511
June 28	Healthcare occupations	500	476
June 27	All-program	4,300	486
June 8	All-program	4,800	486

Read About the Canada Occupation List

Looking ahead to 2024

A recent document called the Immigration Levels Plan 2024–2026 states that 110,000 new permanent residents will be admitted to Canada through Express Entry in 2024.

The IRCC sought admission for 82,880 Express Entry candidates in 2023. The department issued 110,266 ITAs from the first draw of the year on January 11 and the draw on December 21.

This does not imply that every applicant will be granted entry into Canada before the end of the year, since the IRCC may require up to six months to complete an Express Entry application. A large number of the 2023 ITAs will be considered admittance in 2024.

Furthermore, the minister may alter the existing categories used for the category-based selection process. This is dependent upon input from IRCC stakeholders, including provincial and territorial governments and settlement services, as well as the conclusions in the organization’s annual report to Parliament.

The best people to assess how Express Entry applicants fit into the local labor market and economy, as well as if they were successful in landing jobs in their profession, are these stakeholders.

The minister may establish new categories if he believes that the ones in place do not adequately carry out the IRCC’s mandate to invite the candidates most likely to boost Canada’s economy.