CIC Holds Eighth Express Entry Draw

Fewer points required for candidates invited to apply for Canadian permanent residency

In Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) eighth and most recent selection from the Express Entry pool, 715 candidates were invited to apply for Canadian permanent residency. Qualifying candidates scored 453 or more points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

Conducted on April 17^th, the latest draw is the fourth consecutive one in which the chosen candidates did not need to have a provincial nomination or a Canadian offer of employment at the time of their selection. In each of the first four draws from the Express Entry pool, conducted between January 31^st and February 27^th of this year, CIC restricted its selections to candidates with either a provincial nomination or a Canadian job offer.

Decrease in points required

This latest draw is also significant because the invited candidates matched the lowest number of points required for selection in any Express Entry draw since the program was launched at the beginning of the year. The number of invitations to apply for Canadian permanent residency was also the lowest out of any draw to date. In contrast, the seventh draw, which was held on April 10^th, issued 925 invitations, with a minimum score of 469 points required. Thus far, CIC has issued a total of 7,566 invitations through the Express Entry system.

As shown in the following statistics, the required CRS points and the number of invitations to apply for Canadian permanent residency have varied significantly from draw to draw:

• Greatest number of points required in a single draw: A minimum of 886 points was required in the very first draw, held on January 31^st.
• Smallest number of points required in a single draw: A minimum of 453 points was required in the draws held on March 27^th and April 17^th.
• Greatest number of invitations to apply in a single draw: 1,637 candidates were invited in the March 27^th draw.
• Smallest number of invitations to apply for Canadian permanent residency: 715 candidates were invited in the April 17^th draw.
• Greatest decrease in points required between two successive draws: The required score dropped 254 points between the February 27^th and March 20^th draw.
• Smallest decrease in points required: The required score dropped 10 points between the February 7^th and February 20^th draw.
• Greatest increase in points required: The required score increased by 16 points between the March 27^th and April 10^th draw.

The gap between successive draws has also fluctuated. The longest gap, 21 days, occurred between the draws held on February 27^th and March 20^th, while the shortest gap, 7 days, has occurred on three separate occasions.

To submit their profiles for the selection pool, Express Entry candidates must qualify for the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, or the Federal Skilled Trades Program. CIC then evaluates the profiles in the candidate pool on a priority basis according to the criteria of the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). When a draw is held, the highest-ranking candidates receive an official invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residency. They must complete an online application within 60 days.

When the Express Entry system was launched in January, CIC declared they would process those applications within 6 months. They have exceeded that goal on multiple occasions, as a number of early applications have been processed in less than half that time, sometimes within a few weeks.

To speak with a Canadian immigration lawyer about Canada’s Express Entry system, contact First Immigration Law Firm.