Because of the border closures and restrictions due to the COVID-19 epidemic, all-program Express Entry lotteries were halted for 18 months, from January 2021 to July 2022. After July, all 2022 draws were all-program.

Only two all-program draws, where the eligible applicants from each of the three Express Entry administered programs received the ITAs depending on their minimum CRS score, were conducted by IRCC since the beginning of 2023. 5,000 candidates were welcomed to each of those draws, which took place on January 11 and January 18, one week apart.

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The very next draw, which also was the first PNP-only draw since June 2022, was out after IRCC waited for two weeks. The very next day, IRCC announced a second draw, and only 3,300 applicants from the FSWP received the ITAs. When Express Entry launched in 2015, the IRCC has never conducted an FSWP-only draw before. The FSWP, one of the most well-known Express Entry programs, is accessible to applicants from abroad who meet the requirements for work experience, language proficiency, and educational requirements.

The immigration minister and IRCC have the entire authority over Express Entry draws. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act has no provisions in regard to the date or time of draws, the number of candidates to be invited, or the minimum CRS cut-off score.