With 107,350 invitations given to Express Entry applicants, Canada caps off the year.

On December 23, the minimum Express Entry cut off score fell significantly from the previous two rounds.

With a Rigorous Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 468, Canada welcomed 5,000 immigration candidates.

The new CRS criterion is only slightly lower than the previous draw on 9 December, when a minimum score of 469 was required for the candidates.

The draw today was the fourth consecutive invitation round to question 5,000 permanent Canadian residence ITAs. Since September 2, there has been a steady rise in the number of ITAs issued for all-program Express Entry draws.

IRCC performed only program-specific drawings in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic and in the midst of the most stringent travel restrictions. The Government of Canada has since taken steps to promote immigration procedures for most of its services, amid the current COVID-19 pandemic, and to ensure the continued selection of qualified workers for permanent residence.

Express Entry for three federal economic class programs is Canada’s immigration application management system: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class.

A score based on the CRS is given to candidates in those programs, as well as some Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Points are awarded in English or French based on the human capital factors of an applicant, such as age, education, job experience, and language capacity.

An ITA is awarded to the highest-scoring applicants, which they will then use to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Today’s draw continued a pattern that in each of the last four draws has seen the cut-off CRS score decrease. The standard, two-week interval between draws maintained by the IRCC since September and the high number of ITAs given in recent draws may explain this pattern in part.

This year is the first since the 2015 introduction of Express Entry, where the number of ITAs has surpassed 100,000.

In recent weeks, a number of Express Entry-linked provincial nominee streams have been involved.

Over the past four weeks, provinces such as Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia have all kept provincial drawings connected to Express Entry.

An additional 600 points for their CRS score are awarded to Express Entry candidates who earn a provincial nomination and pass to the front of the line for an ITA.

For candidates with lower CRS scores who have yet to make the cut-off in a federal Express Entry draw, those 600 points are extremely important.

Tags : Express Entry, EOI, Canada Immigration, Migrate to Canada, PR Process