The number of applicants who were invited to the most recent Express Entry draw under the CEC (Canadian Experience Class) and FSWP (Federal Skilled Worker Program) has been revealed in preliminary data by the federal immigration department in Canada.
The first program-specific draw was conducted after 18 months of pause by IRCC on 6 July. A minimum score of 557, which is a very high score, was required for candidates to receive an invitation and a total of 1500 applicants are invited to apply for immigration to Canada.
On 27 July IRCC reveals in a media release a breakdown of data for its recent Express Entry draw, in which 1750 candidates were invited in the recent draw with a minimum cut-off score of 542.
According to IRCC, candidates eligible for the FSWP as well as the CEC and Provincial Nominee Program, also confirmed that they have received the invitation. In a statement to the media, the IRCC spokesperson who provided the data stressed that they are only provisional estimates and are therefore subject to change:
Numerous factors contributed to the lack of candidates for the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). Candidate eligibility for multiple programs is given priority by IRCC when handing out CEC invitations. In the event that a candidate is qualified for the FSWP as well as the CEC, or for all three programs, including the FSTP, IRCC invites them to submit an application. The rationale is that whereas FSWP and FSTP applicants without a work offer from Canada must provide evidence of funding, CEC applicants need not. Candidates who qualify for both positions are therefore advised to submit their applications through the CEC.
In the event that FSTP candidates were qualified for other programs, IRCC would encourage them to apply for those first. If not, their test results would not have been adequate. To provide these qualified employees with a chance to apply for Canadian immigration, IRCC on occasion runs draws that are particularly for FSTP candidates.
As more Invitations to Apply (ITAs) are sent out, it makes sense that the CRS score threshold could decrease. As per its current multi-year migration levels plan, the IRCC will need to keep admitting applicants from all programs in order to reach its migration goal for 2023. In these new all-program draws, it’s projected that about 80% of candidates who reply to their invitations will hear back in six months.
