Express Entry draw was held on 30th January and we witnessed a rise in the invitations close to 11,150 which was a record start as this was the highest number ever since the last 5 years when Express Entry system was introduced. CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) was also reduced in this draw as the minimum score to qualify was 438 which is 5 points lower than the previous invitation round which was held on 23rd January. This score was also the lowest since October 2017. The Express Entry system includes the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class.

The selected candidates in the Express Entry category are given a score based on a few factors like age, work experience education and language proficiency. With the help of these eligibility criteria, candidates are then differentiated from highest scorer to the lowest and then they are issue an ITA (Invitation to Apply) to further apply for permanent residency. These rounds are held once every two weeks. Less time between the draws means that the pool of candidates had less time to fill up the slot with highest scoring candidates. The one week interval between draws helps to explain the low score in the latest draw. We even saw the usage of Tie-Break rule in the latest draw. This helped candidates with a CRS score above 438 or equal who entered their profile in the pool before the selected date and time received an ITA. 3,350 ITA’s were issued in the latest draw which added up to get the total up to 11,150 which is a record-breaking number since 2015.

This quick start echoes Canada’s higher admissions targets for 2019 and 2020 for candidates who have applied under one of the three Federal High Skilled economic immigration categories, under the Express Entry system.

It is anticipated that IRCC will have to issue more ITAs over the course of this year than it did in 2018 — a year that saw IRCC set a new ITA record, in order to meet its admissions targets for 2019 and 2020.