Minimum CRS score drops to 464 in second Express Entry draw in one day

3,294 Canadian Experience Class candidates invited to apply for permanent residence on April 9

By Globe Advisory Services on 10th April 2020

A second Express Entry draw took place on Thursday, April 9, where a total of 3,294 invitations to apply for Canadian permanent residence were issued to Canadian Experience Class candidates with ranking scores of 464 and above.

This rare second draw within the same day saw the lowest minimum CRS score requirement since October 2019.

Today’s draw was the fourth consecutive program-specific Express Entry draw and the second one in less than a month to specifically target candidates in the Canadian Experience Class, which is open to foreign nationals with at least one year of work experience in Canada, among other criteria.

Earlier today, Canada also invited 606 Express Entry Provincial nominee program candidates to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

The Express Entry system is Canada’s main source of skilled foreign workers. Eligible candidates enter the Express Entry pool and are issued a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score based on their age, education, skilled work experience and proficiency in English or French, among other factors. The highest-ranked candidates are issued Invitations to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence during regular draws from the pool.

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) applied a tie break rule in today’s draw; candidates had to have submitted their profiles before January 4, 2020, at 12:16:45 UTC. This means that all candidates with CRS scores above 464, as well as those with scores of 464 who entered their profile in the Express Entry pool before this date and time, received an ITA.

The 3,294 ITAs issued in today’s draw have brought the total number of invitations issued in 2020 to 26,500.

IRCC is continuing to hold regularly scheduled Express Entry rounds of invitations despite the fact that special measures have been put in place to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Canada welcomed 341,000 newcomers in 2019. It is targeting the admissions of 341,000 immigrants in 2020, an additional 351,000 in 2021, and another 361,000 in 2022.