The 3,900 invitations sent out on the 19th of December set a new Express Entry invitation record. As a consequence, many more candidates than ever before will be able to apply for Canadian permanent residence. Another development that accompanied the draw was the revelation that the Invitations to Apply (ITAs) were sent out to candidates who scored as low as 439.
Express Entry is in charge of the candidate pool for the three Federal High Skilled economic immigration programs in Canada. They include;
- Federal Skilled Trades Class
- Federal Skilled Worker Class
- Canadian Experience Class
The Express Entry’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) provides a framework for awarding scores to eligible candidates. Such scores are doled out based on factors such as work experience, education, age and proficiency in French and English. Once ranking is complete, those who top the list receive invitations to apply.
Regular draws help to identify a set number of candidates from the express entry pool who are meant to receive ITAs. The fact that the minimum score dropped below 540 comes as a surprise. This could be explained by the short period between the two separate Express Entry draws.
Usually it takes two weeks between draws but the Canadian Government still sent invitations to many candidates despite the short lapse of time. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made use of a tie break rule in a draw that took place on the 19th of December. The IRCC’s time stamp was 19:31: 37 UTC on February 6th 2018.
