IRCC invites 1040 Express Entry applicants in the latest draws. Applicants required a minimum CRS score of 543. It was the second draw of 2024 following the draw on January 10, over 1,510 applicants were invited in the general draw. Applicants required a minimum score of 546 in order to be considered. 

The latest draws followed a busy December, wherein IRCC invited applicants in seven separate Express Entry draws throughout the month. Two were all-program draws & the remaining five were category-based selection draws for Express Entry applicants who met the eligibility criteria for French language proficiency along with trades, transport, STEM professions, & agri-food/ agriculture professions. 

Throughout 2023, IRCC held 42 Express Entry draws. The majority were all-program draws. IRCC also invited applicants in 17 category-based selection draws between late June & December. Lastly, five draws considered only Express Entry candidates who were nominated through Provincial Nominee Program & one draw to Federal Skilled Worker candidates only.

As IRCC invites 1,040 Express Entry candidates in the latest draws, predicting how Express Entry results will shape up throughout 2024 is challenging. IRCC has moved away from a predictable frequency of draws & there is no way to know what the draw types will be. 

However, as per the Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026, IRCC aims to admit up to 110,770 new permanent residents to Canada in 2024 & will require to issue enough ITAs to also help meet the 2025 admission target of 117,500. Many of these invitations will be issued in 2024 because it takes IRCC up to six months to process the Express Entry application. 

Summary Of Express Entry Draws In 2024

As IRCC invites 1,040 Express Entry applicants in the latest draws, here is the summary for the same. 

Date  Draw Type  Number Of ITAs  Minimum CRS 
January 23 General  1,040 543
January 10 General  1,510 546

What Is Express Entry? 

Express Entry was established to help expedite the application process for economic immigration applicants in FSTP, FSWP, & CEC. 

It uses the CRS to assign the scores based on human capital attributes like professions, age, language ability, work experience, etc. Applicants with the highest scores are likely to obtain an ITA for PR status. 

In May 2023, IRCC introduced category-based selection rounds of invitations for applicants who can demonstrate that they met the criteria for one of the six new Express Entry draw categories: 

  • Healthcare
  • STEM Professions
  • Trades
  • Transport 
  • Agriculture/ Agri-food 
  • Strong French language proficiency 

Applicants with these attributes must be in the Express Entry pool under the managed programs in order to be considered. 

Express Entry applicants who obtain a nomination via PNP have the advantage of acquiring an additional 600 CRS points. This virtually guarantees that they will get an ITA in the forthcoming draw. 

Once an Express Entry applicant obtains an ITA, they have 60 days to submit their final application for PR status to IRCC.