ITAs Ascend in the Latest All-Program Express Entry Draw

IRCC holds the second all-program Express Entry draw on July 20 in a row after a 1.5-year hiatus. In this draw, Canada welcomed 1,750 Express Entry applicants to apply for permanent residence. Express Entry is the main immigration pathway through which Canada welcomes immigrants. This year, IRCC is targeting to invite 55,900 immigrants through the Express Entry system and by 2024 they aim to increase the target to 111,500.

Second All-Program Express Entry Draw

The invited applicants had a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 542. No program was specified for this all-program Express Entry daw, meaning applicants from the Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Worker Program had equal chances to be invited. The CRS prerequisite for the latest draw is 15 points lesser than the previous draw held on July 6, when the minimum CRS cut-off was 557. Also, in this draw, Canada issued 250 more invitations compared to the previous one.

This Express Entry draw was the second all-program draw after an 18-month break, during which time IRCC only welcomed applicants for immigration through the Canadian Experience Class or Provincial Nominee Program.

In an all-program Express Entry draw, Canada considers CRS scores from all applicants in the Express Entry pool, irrespective of which program they qualify for. Pre-pandemic, most Express Entry draws were not program-specific, which means an applicant who qualifies for the program had the chance to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) if they fulfill the minimum CRS.

Between January and September 2021, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada held PNP and CEC draws about every two weeks. After September 21, 2021, Canada paused invitations for CEC applicants because the expected application processing times were exceeding the six-month standard.

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However, IRCC has resumed all-program Express Entry draws, additional changes are forthcoming to the Express Entry system. According to Bill C-19, new reforms are expected to come into effect by early 2023. Once they are implemented, Canada will be able to hold targeted draws that will invite applicants to apply based on an economic goal. Applicants will be invited based on their language ability, work experience, educational credentials, and other related factors that fulfill labour market needs.