The Draw Pattern For 2023
The Express Entry draws usually happen every two weeks on Wednesday. However, this year, the draws have been far from usual. They look very different from the draws, which happened before the Covid-19 pandemic and the latter half of 2022.
The first Express Entry draw of the year happened on January 11th, and since then there have been massive differences in how the draw is done. For example, the draw on January 11 occurred after a surprising six-week pause. The IRCC claimed that the delay was caused by an IT system glitch as a result of implementing NOC 2021.
The following Express Entry draw happened a week later, on Jan 18th. The number of ITAs issued was the same as on January 11, but the CRS score requirement was much lower.
There was a two-week break, and the next draw happened on Feb 1st. However, it was an unusual draw because not all programs participated. Only candidates who were already nominated under the Provincial Nominee Program received an ITA. The previous PNP-only draw happened in June 2022.
Before that, the IRCC had paused all program draws from January 2021 to July 2022 because of the restrictions necessitated by the Covid pandemic.
The next draw was on February 2, when IRCC distributed invitations to candidates who are part of the FSWP. It was a noteworthy Express entry draw because there had never been an FSWP-exclusive draw since Express Entry started, way back in 2015 especially considering the FSWP is notably one of the pre-eminent immigration avenues under Express Entry.
Express Entry draws are completely at the mercy of the immigration minister and IRCC. They can decide the cut-off scores, the number of candidates, and when the draw happens.
