The 12th Express Entry draw of 2023 occurred recently, with 589 invitations issued in a PNP-specific draw. Whereas the score under the Comprehensive Ranking System was 691. In a Provincial Nominee Program-specific draw, the candidates are already available in the Express Entry pool. Besides this, they must have also obtained a provincial nomination. As far as PNP-specific draws are concerned, this was the fourth one of 2023. The last time it occurred was on March 1, 2023, with 667 ITAs issued. However, from March 1 onwards, the Express Entry draws primarily took place for all programs.
Proof of Funds requirement- the recent update
IRCC updated the Proof of Funds requirement and announced the same on May 2 this year. This requirement mainly concerns the amount of money Express Entry candidates must possess and demonstrate while in Canada. Further, this implies that they must have a sufficient amount of money to remain in Canada for a lifetime.
However, the same doesn’t apply to Canadian Experience Class candidates and those with legal permission to work in Canada with a valid employment offer. The latter condition even stands true for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and FSTP candidates.
In order to maintain Express Entry eligibility, candidates must ensure to update their profile, displaying that they have the required amount of settlement funds.
IRCC keeps revising the amount on a yearly basis. Moreover, this amount is fifty percent of the total low-income cut-offs and the number of individuals the candidate will have to support.
| Number of family members |
Funds requirement (in Canadian dollars) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $13,757 |
| 2 | $17,127 |
| 3 | $21,055 |
| 4 | $25,564 |
| 5 | $28,994 |
| 6 | $32,700 |
| 7 | $36,407 |
| If over than seven persons, each additional family member | $3,706 |
12th Express Entry draw of 2023- what about the previous Express Entry draws?
This recent PNP-specific draw took place after the draw on April 26, in which 3,500 ITAs were offered to candidates with a minimum score requirement of 483.
Besides this, in another draw conducted on April 12, IRCC issued 3,500 ITAs to candidates, with the lowest score requirement of 486.
However, these draws could only invite 50 percent of the candidates who received invitations in March. The draws in March sent 21,000 ITAs consecutively over a four-week period. Interestingly, three of the main draws issued invitations to 7,000 candidates (per draw).
Apart from this, the number of ITAs sent in March turned out to be the highest in Express Entry’s history. Whereas the largest draw, according to the number of ITAs, happened in February 2021. This draw invited 27,332 candidates under the CEC.
Talking about April, the standard schedule of draws resumed. From the latter part of 2022 to March this year, the Express Entry draws have occurred normally. Going by the usual norm, the draws take place each Wednesday.
The draws conducted in March and April also resumed the all-program draw pattern. Conversely, in January and February of 2023, the majority of draws turned out to be PNP-specific.
However, the first program-specific draw for the FSTP was held on February 2 by IRCC this year.
Express Entry- a brief analysis
The Express Entry digital system manages the three main economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Trades Program, FSWP, and CEC.
The Express Entry programs have separate eligibility requirements, with the standard requirement of skilled work experience. Also, once candidates do the self-evaluation, they must ensure program eligibility and upload their IRCC profile.
The candidates under Express Entry utilize the CRS system to position candidates based on the score they obtain. The CRS considers an individual’s profile based on a variety of factors like occupation, language proficiency, age, work experience, education, and human capital factors.
Only those with a superior score have higher chances of acquiring an invitation to apply through IRCC for Canadian Permanent Residence.
After the candidates receive an ITA, they’re supposed to send their final and accurate application within sixty days. Once the department receives the application, an immigration officer reviews it and decides on its approval.
