CIC News > Latest News > Immigration > Express Entry > Second Express Entry draw in a week invites candidates with scores as low as 288 Program-specific draw is first of its kind since November 2017

Second Express Entry draw in a week invites candidates with scores as low as 288 Program-specific draw is first of its kind since November 2017

Stephen Smith

Eman Katem

Noah Turner

Published on May 30th, 2018 at 04:00pm EDT Updated on June 29th, 2022 at 12:02pm EDT

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The Government of Canada has issued 700 Invitations to Apply to Express Entry candidates through a program-specific draw held May 30.

A total of 500 Invitations to Apply, or ITAs, were issued to Express Entry candidates under the Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC). The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score for these candidates was 288.

It is important to note that only FSTC candidates with scores as low as 288 were invited to apply.

Another 200 ITAs were issued to Express Entry candidates nominated through the Provincial Nominee Program. The minimum CRS score for these candidates was 902.

Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination receive an additional 600 points toward their CRS score, which explains the high cut-off score. For example, a candidate who enters the Express Entry pool with a CRS score of 300 and then obtains a nomination from a Canadian province would see their CRS score increase to 900.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada employed its tie-break procedure in both instances. For both FSTC and PNP candidates, the date and time of the tie-break was May 30, 2018 at 14:52:06 UTC. This means that all FSTC and PNP candidates with a CRS score above 288 and 902 respectively, as well as those candidates with scores of 288 and 902 who submitted their profile before this date and time, received an ITA in this invitation round.

Today’s draw brings the total ITAs issued in 2018 to 32,200.

The graph below shows a comparison of ITAs issued and target admissions for the years 2017, 2018 and 2019.

To find out if you are eligible to enter the Express Entry pool, fill out a free assessment form.

Program-specific draws are rare

Program-specific invitation rounds are the exception to the norm for Express Entry draws, the vast majority of which include candidates from all programs managed under the Express Entry system.

The last time a program-specific draw was held was November 1, 2017. That draw, which also focused on PNP and Federal Skilled Trades candidates, saw the minimum CRS score drop to 241.

In May 2017, a program-specific draw that was held May 26 was followed five days later by a draw on May 31 that had the lowest minimum CRS score ever recorded for an all-program draw under the Express Entry system – 413.

“It’s always exciting to see more frequent draws, especially ones that bring the CRS score down as low as it went today, even if it was program specific,” said Attorney David Cohen, senior partner at the Campbell Cohen Canadian immigration law firm in Montreal. “It’s a good reminder of Express Entry’s dynamic qualities, not to mention the value of a provincial nomination for Express Entry candidates.”