1,503 Candidates for Canadian Immigration Invited to Apply in 23rd Express Entry Draw

the CanadaVisa Team - 19 December, 2015

The 23rd draw for Canadian immigration through the Express Entry selection system has been performed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) on December 18, 2015.

A total of 1,503 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for Canadian permanent residence were issued to candidates with 460 or more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points. It is unknown whether this latest draw will be the final time that CIC issues ITAs in 2015.

Latest draw continues recent trend of CRS requirement decreasing

As the end of 2015 approaches, it is noteworthy that recent Express Entry draws have seen a decrease in the CRS score required by candidates in order to receive an ITA. The last time in which the CRS requirement increased was in October, and each of the last four draws have seen a decrease in the requirement, relative to the previous draw.

Moreover, an increasing number of candidates for Canadian immigration are expected to be invited to apply in 2016. During a webinar hosted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) on December 16, 2015, a CIC Policy Analyst made some important announcements regarding the short- and medium-term future of Express Entry:

“The number of invitations issued per round is expected to increase as the pre-Express Entry inventory of applications is finalised. In turn, it is expected that the minimum score of those that are invited to apply will drop . . . and we expect that in the new year when our rounds start growing — to meet our new levels plan — that the score will reduce,” she stated.

Express Entry

Express Entry is Canada's immigration management system for the federal economic immigration programs, namely: Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, and the Canadian Experience Class. Express Entry came into operation on January 1, 2015.

Eligible candidates may submit a profile into the Express Entry pool, where they are ranked according to the CRS. The government of Canada selects the top-ranked candidates on a priority basis when it performs one of its frequent draws from the pool. Candidates who are issued an invitation to apply for permanent residence then have 60 days to submit a complete e-application, from which point the government of Canada aims to process the application within six months. A number of early applicants have had their applications processed in under half that time.

Click here for more information on draws from the Express Entry pool that have taken place so far.

Express Entry quick facts, from January 1 to December 18 (All dates are for 2015)

Launch date: January 1
First draw from the pool: January 31
Most recent draw from the pool: December 18
Minimum CRS points required for selection in any one draw: 450 (September 18 & October 2)
Largest number of invitations to apply issued in any one draw: 1,637 (March 27)
Fewest invitations to apply issued in any one draw: 715
Largest decrease in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 273 (from May 22 to June 12 draws)
Smallest decrease in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 0 (from September 18 to October 2 draws)
Largest increase in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 302 (from April 17 to May 22 draws)
Smallest increase in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 0 (from September 18 to October 2 draws)
Longest gap between two consecutive draws: 35 days (from April 17 to May 22 draws)
Shortest gap between two consecutive draws: 7 days (on six occasions)
Total number of invitations to apply issued: 31,063

Draws From The Express Entry Pool (Updated)

	Date when Invitations To Apply Were Issued	Number of Invitations Issued	Minimum CRS Points Required	Program Specified
1st Express Entry Draw	January 31, 2015	779	886	All Programs
2nd Express Entry Draw	February 7, 2015	779	818	All Programs
3rd Express Entry Draw	February 20, 2015	849	808	Canadian Experience Class
4th Express Entry Draw	February 27, 2015	1,187	735	All Programs
5th Express Entry Draw	March 20, 2015	1,620	481	All Programs
6th Express Entry Draw	March 27, 2015	1,637	453	All Programs
7th Express Entry Draw	April 10, 2015	925	469	All Programs
8th Express Entry Draw	April 17, 2015	715	453	All Programs
9th Express Entry Draw	May 22, 2015	1,361	755	All Programs
10th Express Entry Draw	June 12, 2015	1,501	482	All Programs
11th Express Entry Draw	June 27, 2015	1,575	469	All Programs
12th Express Entry Draw	July 10, 2015	1,516	463	All Programs
13th Express Entry Draw	July 17, 2015	1,581	451	All Programs
14th Express Entry Draw	August 7, 2015	1,402	471	All Programs
15th Express Entry Draw	August 21, 2015	1,523	456	All Programs
16th Express Entry Draw	September 8, 2015	1,517	459	All Programs
17th Express Entry Draw	September 18, 2015	1,545	450	All Programs
18th Express Entry Draw	October 2, 2015	1,530	450	All Programs
19th Express Entry Draw	October 23, 2015	1,502	489	All Programs
20th Express Entry Draw	November 13, 2015	1,506	484	All Programs
21st Express Entry Draw	November 27, 2015	1,559	472	All Programs
22nd Express Entry Draw	December 4, 2015	1,451	461	All Programs
23rd Express Entry Draw	December 18, 2015	1,503	460	All Programs

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