Candidates with 423 or more CRS points have issued an invitation to apply (ITA) following the draw that took place the evening of April 12, marking the fifth time so far this year in which a new record low has been reached.
The previous record low threshold was 431, in a draw that took place last week on April 5.
With a total of 3,923 candidates invited this time around, this draw also marks another new record for the most ITAs issued in any single draw.
Over the first 3 months of 2017, a total of 24,632 ITAs were issued, far surpassing any other three-month period in the history of Express Entry, which was first launched in January, 2015. Early April has followed in the same vein, with two back-to-back draws in consecutive weeks allowing a total of 7,676 ITAs to be issued, meaning that 32,308 ITAs have been issued so far this year.
In that time, the CRS requirement has decreased from 468 to 423. As recently as last December, just four months ago, the requirement was 497.
All of this means that a greater diversity of candidates are in position to submit an e-application for Canadian permanent residence. The following hypothetical scenarios are cases in point.
The latest trends in Express Entry follow a remarkable few months in the history of the system. Not only has Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) ramped up the number of ITAs issued — a major contributing factor in the corresponding decrease in the CRS requirement — but the current period comes between two sets of improvements made to the CRS.
The first improvement was introduced in November 2016 , when IRCC determined that the number of CRS points awarded for a qualifying job offer would be changed from 600 points to either 50 or 200, depending on the position offered (note: a job offer is not required to immigrate to Canada through Express Entry).
The next set of improvements, which have already been announced, are due to be implemented on June 6. There will be three changes. First, additional points will be allocated to candidates with a sibling in Canada. Second, candidates with French ability may be awarded additional points. And lastly, registration in the Canada Job Bank will become voluntary. These changes are not expected to alter the make-up of the CRS as significantly as the first set of changes introduced last November.
