A total of 3,500 Express Entry candidates have been invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence in a new Express Entry draw held September 19. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score was 441.

The tie-break date and time used in this draw was September 6, 2018, at 10:28:45 UTC, meaning all candidates with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score above 441, as well as those candidates with scores of 441 who submitted their profile before this specified date and time, received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in this invitation round.

While today’s draw size was smaller than the previous Express Entry draw on September 5, which issued a 2018 high of 3,900 ITAs, it is still larger than the number of ITAs that the Government of Canada was issuing in draws around this same point in 2017, when draw sizes dropped below 3,000.

The Express Entry system manages the profiles of candidates in Canada’s three main federal economic immigration categories — the Federal Skilled Worker Class, the Federal Skilled Trades Class and the Canadian Experience Class.

Candidates are ranked according to their CRS score and the highest-ranked candidates are issued an ITA through regular invitation rounds.

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

Express Entry candidates can improve their ranking in a number of ways, including a provincial nomination that results in 600 additional CRS points.

Express Entry-linked Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) have been extremely active and innovative in 2018. One of the most active and innovative — Ontario’s Human Capital Priorities Stream — recently altered its CRS minimum requirement from 400 to a minimum score that will now be determined by the director of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

IRCC has now issued a total of 62,100 ITAs over 19 draws in 2018, which puts it slightly ahead of the 60,742 ITAs that were issued over the first 19 draws of 2017.

However, IRCC had issued 66,549 ITAs in 2017 by this same point in September, which leaves IRCC 4,449 ITAs behind last year’s pace.

A total of 86,023 ITAs were issued in 2017. Given Canada’s increased admission targets for both 2018 and 2019, it remains possible that this year’s total could surpass the number of ITAs issued in 2017.

The following hypothetical example illustrates a candidate who would have obtained an ITA in today’s draw:

Kev is 29, he has a Master’s degree and has an initial advanced (IELTS 8) English language proficiency in listening and all other abilities (IELTS 7). Although he has never worked or studied in Canada, he has been working as an accountant for two (2) years abroad. Kev does not have any relatives in Canada. His CRS score of 444 would have been sufficient to obtain an ITA in today’s draw.

“Draw sizes remain larger compared to what the Government of Canada was drawing at this time last year, despite the decrease from the previous draw on September 5,” said David Cohen, senior partner with the Cambell Cohen Canadian immigration law firm in Montreal. “With its higher admissions targets for 2018 and 2019, we’ll hopefully see these large draws continuing through the fall.”

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

The CRS Calculator

The CRS Calculator allows you to find out what your score would be under the CRS.

Tips for improving your CRS score

There are a number of ways Express Entry candidates may be able to improve their ranking. Visit this dedicated page to learn strategies for improving your CRS score.

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