The Fourth Program-Specific Draw of 2023 was Held by IRCC on 1 March, following the results of the PNP-only draw on 15 February. It was the sixth Express Entry draw of the year which was in the category of Express Entry-PNP only draw.
With a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 738, 667 candidates were invited by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). For the Provincial Nominee Programs, there have been three program-specific draws and one program-specific draw has been for Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).
The Last All-Program Draw
All-program Express Entry draws were paused for almost 18 months between January 2021 and July 2022 due to restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. All draws that happened in 2022 after July, were all-program.
Only two all-program draws were held by IRCC since the beginning of 2023, it means that draws in which candidates from all three programs managed by IRCC were invited based on their minimum CRS score. Each draw invited 5,000 candidates and those draws were held a week apart on January 11 and 18.
IRCC then waited for 2 weeks for the next draw. Since June 2022, the first PNP-only draw happened after two weeks. From only Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), IRCC held another draw the following day inviting 3,300 candidates. An FSWP-only draw was held for the first time since Express Entry began in 2015.
FSWP is open to skilled candidates overseas who can meet the criteria of work experience, language proficiency, and educational qualification set by IRCC, making it one of the most prominent Express Entry programs.
Express Entry draws are completely at the discretion of the immigration minister and IRCC. The minimum CRS cut-off score, when the draws will occur or the number of candidates are the factors not dictated by any law in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Launch of Application Tracker for Express Entry Programs
Now, candidates in the Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) will be able to monitor their applications as announced by IRCC on February 8. It is also applicable to candidates in the Provincial Nominee Programs.
Candidates can stay informed on updates regarding actions that may be required to keep their files moving as they are enabled to monitor their applications with the help of status trackers. As shown by data from January 31, 66,214 candidates who applied through PNP and 47,868 candidates who applied through Express Entry were waiting in the queue.
These trackers were introduced by IRCC to increase transparency in the process and a way to improve access to the information. For family-class permanent residency, sponsors, and their representatives, an identical system was introduced last year.
