Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued more invitations to apply (ITAs) to candidates in the Express Entry system.
The immigration department issued 536 ITAs to candidates in a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw.
To be considered for this draw, candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 736.
Summary of Express Entry draws
| Date | Draw Type | Number of ITAs | Cut-off CRS score |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 17 | Provincial Nominee Program | 536 | 736 |
| March 6 | French language proficiency | 4,500 | 410 |
| March 3 | Provincial Nominee Program | 725 | 667 |
| February 19 | French language proficiency | 6,500 | 428 |
| February 17 | Provincial Nominee Program | 646 | 750 |
| February 5 | Canadian Experience Class | 4,000 | 521 |
| February 4 | Provincial Nominee Program | 455 | 802 |
| January 23 | Canadian Experience Class | 4,000 | 527 |
| January 8 | Canadian Experience Class | 1,350 | 542 |
| January 7 | Provincial Nominee Program | 471 | 793 |
Today’s draw is the third in March. It follows a French-language proficiency draw on March 6, and a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw on March 3.
Express Entry draws in 2025 have been alternating between Canadian Experience Class (CEC), PNP and French-language candidates.
The year has also seen some larger draws, with thousands of ITAs being issued to candidates. The last CEC draw, held on February 5, saw 4,000 ITAs being issued, with a CRS of cutoff score of 521. Both the previous French language draws, which took place on March 6 and February 19, invited over 4,000 candidates each.
On February 27, IRCC announced its priority categories for 2025, adding education as a new category.
The 2025 priority categories are:
- French-language proficiency;
- Healthcare and social services occupations;
- Trade occupations; and
- Education occupations.
In the press release announcing the categories, IRCC reaffirmed its commitment to invite candidates with experience in Canada as well as French-language proficiency in Express Entry.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is an applicant management system that manages three programs for economic immigration to Canada:
- The CEC;
- The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP); and
- The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).
These programs use the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to find the candidates who are most likely to meet Canada’s labour market needs and contribute to the overall economy,
It does this by evaluating a candidate’s human capital factors such as their age, occupation, education, language ability and work experience. Each factor receives a score and is added together to get an overall CRS score.
CRS scores are often higher in PNP draws because Express Entry candidates who are nominated by a province automatically receive an additional 600 points.
Candidates may also receive points for having family in Canada or immigrating with a spouse or partner.
Those with the highest scores are the most likely to receive an ITA in an upcoming Express Entry draw.
Note: As of now, candidates may also get additional points for having job offers under arranged employment. However, IRCC plans to remove additional CRS points for job offers in Spring of 2025.
