First Express Entry Draw of April – 3500 ITAs Issued

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First Express Entry Draw of April - 3500 ITAs Issued

In an all-program draw, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) granted 3,500 invitations to apply (ITAs) to applicants. The cut-off score for the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) was 486. Candidates from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) are considered in an all-program Express Entry draw.

This draw comes after three straight Express Entry contests in which 7,000 applicants were requested to participate. With a CRS cut-off score of 481, the most recent draw on March 29 also witnessed the lowest score since December 2020.

In the history of Express Entry, March was a very unusual month. Over four draws, IRCC distributed 21,667 ITAs. Since Express Entry’s inception in January 2015, this was the second-highest monthly total. When 27,332 candidates were invited in a single draw by the IRCC to be considered for the Canadian Experience Class in February 2021, it broke the previous record for the most applicants invited in a single month.

Following three of the second-largest Express Entry draws in history is today’s draw. First, 7,00 applicants with a CRS score of 490 were invited on March 15.

It is typical for the Express Entry draws to take place on Wednesdays. On March 23, just over a week after the previous draw, IRCC invited an additional 7,000 applicants, having even a lower CRS cutoff of 484 points.

On March 29, 7,000 additional applicants were drawn (those having a minimum CRS score of 481). In total, 21,000 candidates were invited over the course of three weeks. On March 1, a draw limited to participants in the Provincial Nominee Program welcomed the remaining 667 candidates.

April 6 - PGWP extension is still available.

Candidates in the CEC, many of whom have been raising concerns as their Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) are about to expire, may benefit from the sizeable all-program draws.

Sean Fraser, the minister of immigration, recently stated that beginning April 6, PGWP holders would be able to seek an 18-month renewal of their open work permit.

Existing Applicant

New Applicant