Canada has resumed all-program Express Entry draws as of July 6. Since then, the number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued in each draw has grown by 250 each week, causing the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirements to go down.
That being said, score cut offs are still quite high. The most recent Express Entry draw required candidates to have at least a score of 533. In order to get a score this high, candidates would need to be relatively young, highly educated with work experience, and perhaps even bilingual in order to get an ITA.
It typically follows that the more Express Entry candidates Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invites, the lower the CRS cut off will be. However, there is currently a large number of Express Entry candidates in the pool with scores above 501, partially due to pent-up demand.
IRCC had paused draws for Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) draws since December 2020, and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) had been paused in September 2021. During this time, the number of candidates scoring more than 501 in the pool grew as there were no draws inviting them to apply. Express Entry profiles are valid for up to 12 months in the pool.
For that reason, the number of high-scoring candidates in the pool has skyrocketed compared to pre-pandemic. On March 3, 2020, the last draw before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, there were some 21,900 Express Entry candidates in the pool with scores between 450 and 600. During the August 3, 2022 draw, there were 66,813 Express Entry candidates in the same range.
The number of Express Entry candidates with scores between 501 and 600 is about 8,975, according to the most recent figures available on the government website. Although this figure represents fewer candidates in this range compared to the July 20 Express Entry draw, it is still more than observed on July 6. This suggests more high-scoring candidates are entering the pool, but not fast enough to prevent the CRS cut off from dropping.
In the most recent three draws, the increase of 250 ITAs per draw has been enough to offset the intake of new Express Entry candidates as well as PNP candidates. As a result, the CRS score has continued to go down.
Looking forward
Starting in early 2023 IRCC is expected to start holding draws focused on an economic goal, such as occupation, language competency, or another factor. As such, CRS scores and program types may no longer be the only deciding factors on whether someone gets an ITA.
Furthermore, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has until September 8 to put forth a plan on how to give more weight to in-Canada work experience under economic immigration programs, among other priorities dictated by a motion put forward by Randeep Sarai, the member of parliament for Surrey Centre, British Columbia. The minister’s mandate letter, tabled in December, calls on Fraser to “Expand pathways to Permanent Residence for international students and temporary foreign workers through the Express Entry system.” However, the minister told CIC News in a June interview that it does not necessarily mean candidates would be awarded more points through the Express Entry system.
“Over the next number of months we should be able to share some clarity as to what these pathways may look like and I’m really looking for it because I think it’s a huge opportunity for Canada,” Fraser said.
