The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently held the twelfth Express Entry draw of 2023. A total of 589 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) were issued in a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) specific draw, where candidates are already in the Express Entry pool but have also received a provincial nomination.
This is the fourth PNP-specific draw of 2023, with the last one occurring on March 1 and inviting 667 candidates. Since then all Express Entry draws have considered applicants from all programs. To be eligible for the PNP-specific draw, candidates are required to have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 691.
Changes in Proof of Funds
With effect from May 2, 2023, IRCC has updated the amount of money an Express Entry applicant must have access to in Canada. All the candidates must be able to show proof of funds to validate that they have enough funds to settle in Canada. Though, proof of funds is not required for the applicants in the Canadian Experience Class or for the Express Entry applicants who have permission to work in Canada with a valid job offer. This is also applicable to the candidates who apply under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
To qualify for Express Entry, an applicant must have an updated profile to showcase that they still have the required amount of settlement funds. The fund required solely depends upon the number of family members.
Every year, IRCC updates the amount, and it is based on 50% of the low-income cut-off totals.
| Number of Family Members | Funds Required |
| 1 | CAD 13,757 |
| 2 | CAD 17,127 |
| 3 | CAD 21,055 |
| 4 | CAD 25,564 |
| 5 | CAD 28,994 |
| 6 | CAD 32,700 |
| 7 | CAD 36,407 |
| More than 7 people, for each additional family member | CAD 3,706 |
Express Entry in 2023
The latest Express Entry draw followed the one held on April 26, wherein 3500 candidates were invited with a CRS score of 483. Moreover, IRCC invited 3500 candidates on April 12 with a CRS score of 486. The total number of applicants invited per draw is half of what it was there in March when IRCC issued 21,000 invitations in over four consecutive Express Entry draws. The number of candidates invited in March was the second-highest in history. It is only exceeded by a draw in February 2021 in which 27,332 Canadian Experience Class candidates received an ITA.
The month of April marks a return to a normal Express Entry draw schedule. Typically, until late 2022 and throughout March 2023, Express Entry draws occurred every second week on Wednesdays. Draws occurred weekly throughout March.
The March and April draw also showed a return to typical all-program draws. Throughout January and February this year, most draws were program-specific for the Provincial Nominee Program. Nevertheless, in February, the first-ever program-specific draw was held for the Federal Skilled Workers Program.
Express Entry
Express Entry is an application management system that comprises three economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). Every EE program possesses specific eligibility criteria however are all alike in that applicants require skilled work experience.
After an applicant self-assesses, they qualify for one of the programs and must upload their profile on the IRCC official website. Express Entry uses the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to score and rank candidates according to a score they receive based on human capital factors such as age, Language proficiency, work experience, education and to name a few.
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