Express Entry Draw January 18, 2023 #238 – CRS Score: 490

The second Express Entry draw of 2023. IRCC issued invitations to 5,500 candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 490. No program was specified, meaning eligible candidates were invited from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). All are programs that operate under the Express Entry system.

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The CRS score at this round of the Express Entry draw was 490, which was a sharp 17 points down from 507 in the last draw. Since the Express Entry draws resumed in July 2022, the cut-off score has been decreasing consistently. In November, the minimum CRS score was 491. But, the next draw a significant rise to 507 points probably because the draw came after one and a half months.

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Express Entry draws tend to occur approximately every two weeks, usually on Wednesday. Nonetheless, the fact that draws have taken place in successive weeks to start 2023 indicate IRCC’s desire to land more skilled immigrants in Canada this year. In two weeks' time, IRCC has already issued 11,000 ITAs, the fastest start since it was launched in 2015, eclipsing the previous record of 10,000 ITAs that were issued in January 2021.