On January 18, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held an unexpected Express Entry draw, making it the second in two consecutive weeks. Express Entry draw #238 issued 5,500 Invitations to Apply (ITA) to all-program candidates under Express Entry. In round #238, the cut-off score was 490 points, 17 points fewer than the previous draw! The tie-breaking rule for this round was November 24, 2022, at 21:14:59 UTC. As of January 18, 2023, there are 240,013 profiles registered in the Express Entry pool, 3,242 fewer than the previous update. In 2023, Canada issued 11,000 ITAs through Express Entry, and this is the quickest Express Entry start ever since the system was launched.
