Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is conducting its 45th Express Entry draw through tomorrow.

• IRCC will issue 1,804 invitations to those candidates who have submitted a profile to apply for permanent residence. This an increase from the 1,518 invitations issued in the last draw.
• The minimum qualifying score for this draw is 475.

The frequency and size of Express Entry draws are at the discretion of IRCC.

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals

Candidates may wish to seek their employer's assistance to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or a Provincial Nomination (PN) in order to increase their score. Having an LMIA or PN adds 600 points to an existing score. Therefore, an employee's score that is equal to or greater than the minimum qualifying score plus an LMIA or a PN would attract an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence to Canada. Those employees without an LMIA or PN would have to wait for the next draw of the minimum qualifying score to see if they would receive an ITA.

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