IRCC Makes Slight Revision to CRS Ranking Approach

Candidates in the Express Entry pool with tied scores under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) are now ranked according to the precise date and time they submitted their profiles. This new approach is one of various recent changes to the CRS introduced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on June 6, 2017.

A candidate’s CRS score is still the primary factor in determining his or her ranking in the pool. In the case of candidates with tied CRS scores, profiles are ranked according to the date and time of submission. Older profiles are ranked higher than more recently-submitted profiles.

From now on, the CRS cut-off point for future draws will be established by the CRS score and submission time of the lowest-ranked candidate invited. For example, if IRCC wishes to issue 3,400 Invitations to Apply (ITAs), the CRS score and submission time of the 3,400th candidate in the pool at the moment of the draw will establish the minimum CRS requirement and most recent submission time requirement of that draw.

The below table illustrates the time stamp in action during a hypothetical future draw. The information in this table represents an example only, and is not based on actual statistics of a specific IRCC draw. If IRCC established that 3,400 candidates will be issued ITAs in a draw, and the minimum CRS score required is 407, the following may apply.

Rank	CRS score	Date and time of profile submission	Status
3398	407	July 4, 2016, at 14:03:12	Invited
3399	407	November 30, 2016, at 20:04:41	Invited
3400	407	January 12, 2017, at 07:43:13	Invited
3401	407	January 12, 2017, at 17:15:35	Still in the pool
3402	407	May 25, 2017, at 12:20:25	Still in the pool

IRCC states that in any one draw, the time stamp ranking will only apply to candidates with the minimum CRS score for that draw. Candidates with a higher CRS score than the minimum required for a draw continue to be ranked higher than lower-scoring candidates, regardless of the time they submitted their profile.

Prior to June 6, 2017, candidates in the Express Entry pool were ranked by CRS score alone. This meant that all candidates who met the minimum CRS score requirement in any one draw received an ITA. IRCC has stated that this '[made] it hard for the Department to manage invitation rounds.'

Modifying and Updating Profiles

IRCC has confirmed that modifying a profile will not change the time stamp of the original submission. For example, a candidate entered the pool on January 12, 2016, at 07:43:13, with a CRS score of 338 points, and updated his profile on May 25, 2017, to include new language results. These results brought his score up to 407 points. His ranking in the pool would change, as he would now be ranked among the other candidates with 407 points. However, the original time stamp of January 12, 2016, at 07:43:13, would still apply, and he would be ranked higher than another candidate with 407 points who submitted his or her profile after that time.

However, if a candidate deletes his or her profile and later chooses to re-enter the pool, his or her ranking among any other candidates with the same CRS score would be based on the time of the new profile submission. The same applies if a candidate’s profile expires and he or she re-submits a new profile. Express Entry profiles expire after one year, if the candidate has not received an ITA in that year.

IRCC has clarified that candidates are not required to take any action in response to this change. Profiles will be automatically updated based on the information provided, a process that may take up to two weeks.

The CRS Calculator

Candidates in the Express Entry pool, as well as individuals thinking of creating an Express Entry profile, can use the new and improved CRS Calculator to find out their score would be under the newly revised CRS points system.