IRCC holds another express entry draw. In an all-program draw, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) offered 3,500 invitations to apply (ITAs) to candidates. 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 draw.

This is the fourth Express Entry draw in a row, with 7,000 hopefuls invited. The March 29 draw also had the lowest CRS cut-off score since December 2020, at 481.
Seems like Canada is determined to complete their aggressive plan to take in 500,000 immigrants a year by 2025, with almost 1.5 million new immigrants coming to the country over the next three years since In 2023, more ITAs have already been issued than in the entire year of 2022.

What is Canada planning?

IRCC unveiled its most ambitious Immigration Levels Plan to date in November. Over the next three years, the plan outlines immigration targets for permanent residents across all business lines. This year, 82,880 people will be granted permanent residence status through Express Entry, with the number expected to rise to 1,14,000 by 2025.

In our last CRS blog, we detailed that In the history of Express Entry, March was an exceptional month. Over four draws, the IRCC distributed 21,667 ITAs. This was the second-highest monthly total since the start of Express Entry in January 2015. In February 2021, IRCC invited 27,332 individuals in a single draw targeting Canadian Experience Class candidates, breaking the record for the most candidates invited in a single month.
Today\’s draw comes after three of the second-largest Express Entry draws in history. The first was on . March 15, when 7,000 candidates with a CRS score of 490 were invited

Number of candidates with ITAs 

Express Entry draws are typically held every two weeks on Wednesdays. The next draw, however, was held just over a week later, on March 23, when IRCC invited another 7,000 hopefuls with even lower CRS scores of 484.
21,000 candidates were invited in three consecutive weeks of march under express entry draws. The remaining 667 candidates were invited on March 1 in a draw targeting only candidates in the Provincial Nominee Program.

Post-graduate work permits (PGWP) extension is now available as of April 6th.

The big all-program draws may be advantageous for CEC candidates, many of whom have expressed rising concern since their Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) are slated to expire soon.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser recently stated that PGWP holders will be able to apply for an 18-month open work permit extension beginning April 6.

PGWPs are a one-time open work permit for international students who graduate from a post-secondary institution in Canada. If a candidate’s PGWP expires before they receive an ITA, they are no longer eligible to apply for permanent residence. It can be expensive and time-consuming to find an alternative work permit or obtain a visitor record. 

In the linked link, you can discover more about express entry and who is qualified to apply for the three main programmes: