On August 3, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the first occupation-specific Express Entry draw and issued 1,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates working in one of the skilled trades occupations. The cut-off score for Round #261 was 388 points. The tie-breaking rule for this round was June 7, 2023, at 07:03:08 UTC. As of August 1, 2023, there were 211,529 profiles registered in the Express Entry pool. This year, Canada has issued 73,448 ITAs through the Express Entry draws. #Express_Entry, #IRCC, #ITA, #immigration_to_Canada, #PR, #Occupation_Specific_draws