Express Entry CEC draw invites candidates with scores as low as 431

Today’s Express Entry draw has resulted in invitations for 3,508 immigration candidates and their families to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for Canadian permanent residence were issued to Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program candidates with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores as low as 431.

This was the lowest CRS for CEC candidates since Canada's May 31, 2017 draw that had a CRS of just 413.

Today’s draw follows the 392 ITAs issued to Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates yesterday, bringing the total of ITAs issued over the past two days to 3,900.

Canada’s Express Entry system manages the profiles of candidates for three of Canada’s main economic-class immigration programs — the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades Class (FST) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been targeting CEC and PNP candidates over the past three months because they are most likely to already be in Canada and are less likely to be affected by the current restrictions in place due to the coronavirus outbreak.

CRS cut-off scores for CEC candidates have declined in every single CEC draw since the introduction of travel restrictions.

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The draw today saw the tie-breaking rule implemented on April 3, 2020 at 12:56:32 UTC. This means that all candidates with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 431 who submitted their profile before this date and time received an ITA in this invitation round.

Today's draw cut-off score of 431 was 6 points lower than the cut-off score in the last CEC Express Entry draw, which was 437.

There has been a significant downward trend in CRS cut-offs since the start of the pandemic, and given they have declined in every single CEC draw in recent months, it seems like there is potential for scores to continue to drop.

All eligible Express Entry candidates are given a score under the CRS that is based on factors such as age, education, skilled work experience and proficiency in English or French.

Unlike all-program invitation rounds, which draw from the entire Express Entry pool and tend to result in higher cut-off scores, niche draws for a specific cohort like CEC candidates can produce lower cut-off scores given they target a smaller pool of candidates.

Although IRCC has not yet provided information as to when the next FSW draw would happen, prospective Canadian immigration candidates are encouraged to continue to submit profiles to the Express Entry pool. This not only ensures that they will be in the system if an FSW draw is held but also that they will be visible to Canada’s provinces and territories when they issue Express Entry-linked provincial nominations.

Candidates who obtain a nomination from a Canadian province or territory, receive an additional 600 points towards their CRS score, effectively increasing their chances of being included in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

So far in 2020, Canada has issued 49,900 ITAs.

This was the 21st round of invitations under Express Entry in 2020 and the 154th overall.

Given Canada’s higher admission targets for its three federal skilled immigration programs in 2020 and 2021, it is expected that IRCC will hold more frequent and larger draws in the coming weeks and months.

The following are hypothetical examples of candidates who would have had a CRS score high enough to receive an ITA in this draw:

Priya is 31 and obtained her bachelor’s degree from a school in Canada in May 2019. Since graduating, she has been working in Canada as a graphic designer. Prior to coming to Canada to pursue her bachelor’s degree, she was employed as an artist for four years. Priya wrote the IELTS and scored a 6 in each category. Priya submitted an Express Entry profile earlier this month. Her CRS score of 433 would have been high enough to obtain an ITA during the June 25 Express Entry draw.

Ali and Yasmine are married. Each holds a bachelor’s degree and is 39 years old. Ali has been working as an engineering manager for 15 years. Ali has an advanced English language proficiency and Yasmine has an intermediate English language proficiency. While most of Ali’s work experience has been obtained outside of Canada, he worked for one year in Canada starting in 2018. They entered the Express Entry pool with Ali as the principal applicant. Ali’s CRS score of 433 would have been high enough to obtain an ITA during the June 25 Express Entry draw.

Click here to read CIC News' Express Entry Mid-Year 2020 Report.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs