Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continues its process of issuing Invitations to Apply (ITAs) through the Express Entry system. In the latest draw held on April 28, 2025, IRCC invited 421 candidates from the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) category.

To be considered in this draw, candidates needed to have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 727. Additionally, a tie-breaking rule was applied, requiring candidates to have created their Express Entry profile before 5:11 pm Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) on September 9, 2024.

This draw is the second conducted by the Express Entry system in April 2025 and follows another Provincial Nominee Program draw on April 14, which issued 825 invitations with a minimum CRS score of 764.

As of this latest draw, IRCC has issued a cumulative total of 31,929 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates through the Express Entry system in 2025. Looking back at the year's draws, besides the ongoing PNP draws, Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws were held in January and February, while category-based selection draws have only targeted French-language proficiency candidates.

Notably, Express Entry draws over the past month have specifically focused on PNP candidates, with no other type of Express Entry draw having occurred thus far in April. This recent trend has been particularly significant for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates, as their program category last saw a draw on February 5, 2025. Furthermore, aside from French-language proficiency, IRCC has yet to hold any category-based Express Entry draws for its other priority categories this year.

Despite the recent focus on PNP, IRCC maintains that it will prioritize candidates within the Canadian Experience Class program and those in its other priority categories for applying for permanent residence (PR) in 2025. This suggests that while PNP draws are frequent, other streams remain important for meeting Canada's immigration goals.

According to the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, the immigration department aims to welcome 395,000 new permanent residents to Canada in 2025. The majority (232,150) of these new immigrants are expected to come from the economic immigration allocation for 2025, under which Express Entry falls, serving as a primary pathway for Canada to attract skilled workers and professionals.

Including Family Members in Your Application and Family Reunification

Many Express Entry candidates are concerned about whether their family members can join them after obtaining Canadian permanent resident status. The Express Entry system is designed to allow the principal applicant to include certain family members in their permanent residence application.

You can include your spouse, common-law partner, or wife or husband in your PR application as accompanying family members. Additionally, you may include your dependent children, your spouse or partner's dependent children, and any dependent children of those dependent children. If your Express Entry application is successful and you obtain permanent resident status, any family members included as accompanying will also be granted permanent residence at the same time.

IRCC defines a dependent child as one of the following:

• Under 22 years of age and not a spouse or common-law partner; or
• 22 years of age or older who has been financially dependent on their parents since before the age of 22 and is unable to be financially self-sufficient due to a physical or mental condition.

In addition to declaring your spouse/common-law partner and dependents on your PR application, Canadian permanent residents and citizens also have the opportunity to sponsor their parents or grandparents for Canadian immigration through Canada's Parents and Grandparents Program, or to invite them to visit Canada through the country's Super Visa program, reflecting Canada's emphasis on family reunification.

Express Entry Draw Summary - 2025