After a moratorium of almost a month and a half, Canada conducted its first Express Entry draw of 2023 earlier in the week, which witnessed a sharp rise in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off score.
On Wednesday, Canada conducted its Express Entry draw after Nov 23, 2022 and saw the CRS cut-off score jumping to 507 compared to the previous score of 491 despite the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issuing a record number of 5,500 Invitation to Apply (ITAs) in the most recent draw.
According to sources, the sharp increase in the number of CRS cut-off scores could delay the process of immigration for many candidates in the Express Entry pool.
Ever since the Express Entry draws picked back action in July last year, the CRS cut-off score has consistently been witnessing a decline each month. The lowest score was witnessed at the previous draw in Nov 2022 at 491.
Many believe that the CRS cut-off score jumped sharply in January 2023 because of the latest Express Entry draw coming in after a break of almost one and a half months.
Compared to last year’s draws, the number of invitations also increased significantly at the Express Entry draw on Wednesday this week.
A total of 750 invitations were more at Wednesday’s draw compared to that on the November 23 draw. In all, 4,750 candidates received the invitations earlier this week.
The total number of ITAs received for all-program draws that began in 2022, beginning in July stood at 35,750.
Further, the Canadian government has made the expressway more desirable for foreign nationals with special skills to get their permanent visas.
Trak.in had reported that the country’s Express Entry is going to see massive changes in 2023, all of which are being incorporated to attract maximum skilled foreign workers to the country at a time when Canada’s job vacancy rate has shot up significantly.
The current government of Canada is looking for different routes to attract permanent residency for skilled foreign nationals in the country as temporary international workers are crucial to the country’s economy.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or IRCC will soon be able to independently issue Invitation to Apply (ITAs) to foreign candidates having specific work experience, education or language abilities that are well-positioned to support Canada’s economy and labour force, the report had said.
