Express Entry Draw #183

Canada held a new Express Entry draw, inviting candidates who had scores of at least 417 points on Friday April 16, 2021.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 6,000 Canadian Experience Class candidates to apply for permanent residence in the new invitation round. IRCC issued 1,000 more invitations compared to the previous CEC-only draw and the score requirement was 15 points less than the last draw.

The draw was a rare Friday evening one, right before the weekend in Canada. Express Entry draws usually take place during the week to give immigration candidates and their representatives more time to prepare their permanent residence applications.

It was also the second-largest draw in Express Entry’s history. The three largest draw sizes have all occured within the last few months as IRCC has increased draw sizes to compensate for the decline in immigration to Canada in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The previous record was 5,000 permanent residence invitations, before it was shattered when 27,332 candidates were invited on February 13.