A record number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) were issued in the first quarter of 2023, making it the third-highest number to be issued in a three-month period since Express Entry was introduced. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 37,559 invitations, including the three largest all-program draws in history, each inviting approximately 7,000 applicants. The number of invitations issued in 2023 was second only to the record year of 2021, contrasting starkly with 2022, which saw the least number of invitations issued for the first quarter on record.