Another 3,611 candidates for immigration to Canada and their accompanying family members are well on their way to Canada following the latest Express Entry draw, which took place on February 22. The number of Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points required in order for candidates to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) was 441, marking a new record.
This point threshold means that a greater variety of candidates may now submit an application for Canadian permanent residence. The new record low means that it is possible for a candidate educated up to Bachelor’s Degree level only, who has no Canadian work or study experience, as well as no additional points for a provincial nomination or a job offer, to obtain an ITA, if he or she is only evaluated for one language.
The significant decrease in the CRS threshold over recent months has come in the wake of improvements to the Express Entry system that came into effect on November 19, 2017. Among other changes, the number of points awarded for a qualifying job offer was reduced from 600 to either 50 or 200 points, depending on the position offered. As a result, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) predicted that ‘A reduction of points to candidates with arranged employment means the CRS cut-off will decline.’
Based on recent draws, it would seem that IRCC’s predictions are coming true.
The fact that the number of ITAs being issued has increased over recent draws, as shown below, is another contributing factor to the decrease in the CRS requirement.
