Canada holds its first FSWP-only draw in history!

Surya Rathee
[Published 03 Feb, 2023 | 02:46 AM]
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Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted its fourth Express Entry draw of the year.

IRCC sent invitations to 3,300 Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) candidates having a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 489. This was the first of the type in history – as there were no FSWP-only draws conducted since Express Entry’s launch in 2015. 

The tie-breaking rule set for the February 3rd draw was March 29, 2022, at 16:09:00 UTC. FSWP candidates that met the minimum score threshold were only invited if they had submitted their profile to the Express Entry pool before this date.

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Express Entry draws in 2023

The February 1 in which only candidates who had already secured provincial nomination received an ITA, this was the second program-specific draw of 2023.

Express Entry draws typically occur on Wednesdays every two weeks. However, the trend followed since Express Entry's inception in 2015 has changed for the draws in 2023.

Following the draw on November 23, there was an unexpected six-week break until the first draw of this year took place on January 11. According to reports, the pause was allegedly caused by an IT system glitch brought on by the installation of NOC 2021. 

The same number of candidates were invited to another draw the next week on January 18 with a substantially lower minimum CRS score of 490. Since IRCC typically does not give ITAs to candidates over a two-week period, this draw caught everyone by surprise.

What to expect of the upcoming draws?

Canada has invested millions of dollars and hired hundreds of new employees to boost its processing capacity. IRCC stated that the department is working hard to resume the standard frequency of draws. Along with Canada’s “new & improved” Immigration Level Plans, Canada is all set to welcome over 450,000 immigrants in 2023. ITAs are being issued in large numbers with record-breaking low CRS scores.

Now is indeed the best time to apply for a Canada PR!