March 28, 2017

The latest Express Entry draw for immigration to Canada, which took place on March 24, has seen another 3,749 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued to candidates in the pool with 441 or more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points. This is the second draw to have taken place through the month of March, and though the gap between the two most recent draws was slightly longer than usual, candidates in the pool — as well as those invited to apply — may well see it as a positive that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continues to announce at least two draws per month.

In fact, over recent months, more and more candidates have been invited to apply than ever before. At this point last year, a total of 9,465 ITAs had been issued. So far this year, a total of 24,652 ITAs have been issued, an increase of more than 160 percent. Because of this — and because of improvements made to the system towards the end of last year — there has also been a decrease in the CRS requirement year-on-year. Though the CRS cut-off threshold for the March 24 draw was seven points higher than in the March 1 draw, a CRS threshold of 441 is still lower than any threshold for any draw that took place in the entire year of 2016.

The slight increase in the CRS cut-off threshold since March 1 may be attributed, at least in part, to the slightly longer gap between draws this time around. This may have allowed more candidates to enter the pool between draws than usual, and more candidates in the pool may have been able to increase their CRS score in meantime, for example by obtaining a nomination certificate through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

Candidates who receive an ITA are now in a position to submit an application for Canadian permanent residence to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Accompanying family members, including spouses or common-law partners, as well as dependent children, may also come to Canada along with the principal applicant.

A CRS threshold of 441 means that it is possible that a candidate who is educated at Bachelor’s Degree level, and who has no work experience in Canada and no additional points for a provincial nomination, or for a job offer, or for previous study in Canada, could obtain an ITA, assuming that he or she has demonstrated advanced proficiency in one of Canada’s official languages (English or French).

Please refer to this article on cicnews.com