A total of 4,449 invitation to submit Permanent residency application (ITA) were issued over the course of January for selected qualified candidates who have created their profile in Express Entry program .
The highest total number for any single month since the Express Entry selection system for immigration to Canada was launched just over a year ago. The previous record was set in March, 2015, when 3,257 ITAs were issued.
January, 2016 was also the first month in almost a year during which three draws took place.
• On January 06, a total of 1,463 ITAs were issued to candidates with at least 461 CRS points.
• On January 13, a total of 1,518 ITAs were issued to candidates with at least 453 CRS points.
• On January 28, a total of 1,468 ITAs were issued to candidates with at least 457 CRS points.
Each of the three draws so far this year has involved candidates without a qualifying job offer or provincial nomination receiving an ITA.
Is January the first step towards more ITAs being issued in 2016? On December 16, 2015, an IRCC Policy Analyst made some important announcements regarding the short- and medium-term future of Express Entry, stating that: “The number of invitations issued per round is expected to increase as the pre-Express Entry inventory of applications is finalized. In turn, it is expected that the minimum score of those that are invited to apply will drop.”
While January’s results seem to support the prediction that the number of invitations will increase, it remains to be seen if this trend will continue and whether a drop in the minimum score required will follow.
