Express Entry Draws
The Canadian government conducts Express Entry draws (also known as rounds of invitation) after every two weeks. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) selects candidates from Express Entry pool based on their profile ranking and CRS score and invite them to apply for Canadian permanent residency(PR).
Key Components of an Express Entry Draw
Draw Number: Draw number specify the sequence and position of a draw within a year which help in tracking of the draw.
Draw Date: It specifies the specific date at which draw has happened helping the applicants who are looking for a recent or a specific draw.
Category: It indicates the specific Express Entry program through which an applicant apply such as General, French language Proficiency, STEM Occupations, etc.
CRS Cut-Off Score: It is the minimum CRS score required to receive an invitation to apply(ITA) from the government of Canada for permanent residency. It is not fixed and varies from draw to draw. Use our CRS calculator and see whether your Express Entry points are more or less than the required cut off score for the latest Express Entry draw.
Number of ITA Issued: These are the number of invitations sent to the candidates who are qualified for PR in Canada.
How the rounds of invitation work
IRCC sets the type of round ( general, program-specific or category-based), then decides the number of invitation to be send and invite the top scoring candidates in Express Entry pool.
Types of rounds of invitations
There are three types of rounds of invitations in Express Entry draw system.
1. General rounds of invitations
Candidate with the highest comprehensive ranking system(CRS) score are invited for permanent residency(PR) in Canada irrespective of the type of program (FSWP, CEC or FSTP).
2. Program-specific rounds of invitations
This type of Express Entry draw only targets candidates of a specific program ( such as PNP only rounds or CEC only rounds).
3. Category-Based Rounds
In the Category-based rounds, the IRCC invites candidates who meet specific requirements such as French language proficiency, STEM occupations, trades, education, healthcare or social service. It was introduced by Minister of IRCC on May 31, 2023.
Key Factors Influencing Express Entry Draws
There are several factors which influence the Express Entry draw. Following are some of these;
Canada’s immigration levels Plan
Each year the federal department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizen Canada(IRCC) release a report of its Immigration levels plan which guides the immigrants who are welling to apply for permanent residency. The number of invitations are decided by the government for an year or two that influence the Express Entry draws. The government of Canada has released its immigration level plan(IPL) on October 24, which includes permanent resident plans. For the year 2025, 395,000 invitations would be offered, 380,000 invitations for the year 2026 and 365,000 invitations for the year 2027.
Composition of the Express Entry pool
- If there are more candidates with high CRS scores, the IRCC may decide high cut-off score and if the pool is dominated by lower CRS score then the cut-off score drops.
- If many candidates in the pool have provisional nomination, then they push the average CRS much higher making it difficult for the average score holders to compete.
- The category-based-draws can also make a CRS draw competitive. If many candidates have applied for category based draw, then IRCC can run targeted draw at lower score.
Government policy Changes
Government policy changes like immigration level plans, Program Priorities (CEC, FSW, PNP, FST), Category-Based Draws (New 2023 Policy), Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Agreements, Rule Changes in CRS Calculation(removing the job offer points, as of March 2025 updates) influences the CRS draws.
Labor Market Needs
IRCC now targets candidates in high-demand occupations (healthcare, STEM, trades, transport, agriculture, francophone workers). Provinces adjust their PNP streams to adjust their shortage. The government connect National Occupational Classification (NOC) shortages to immigration targets.
CRS Score Trends
If most of the candidates are having high CRS points in express entry pool then the draw become competitive and cut-off score rises and if the candidates are having low CRS points then the cut-off score drops. You can check your CRS score to see how competitive your profile is in the Express Entry pool.
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) gives a major boost to CRS score, as candidates in the Express Entry pool receive an additional 600 points through a provincial nomination. This makes the Express Entry draws much more competitive.