Who received ITAs in the recent general Express Entry draw?

Last week, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 1,490 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in an all-program/general Express Entry draw.

This draw, which took place on February 13, issued ITAs to eligible candidates from all three Express Entry-managed programs* who had a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 535.

Express Entry is the application management system used by Canada’s federal government to manage immigration applications for three economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

While IRCC issued over 1,400 ITAs in its latest general draw, the variance in the cut-off CRS score used for each draw means that many candidates who did not receive an ITA from this draw are left wondering what would have made their profiles strong enough to receive an ITA from IRCC.

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Using fictional examples, the following will illustrate how candidates with different Express Entry profiles would have made themselves eligible to receive an ITA during IRCC’s draw on February 13, 2024.

Eligibility for general Express Entry draws

Before assessing the hypothetical Express Entry profiles below, it is worth noting that all Express Entry candidates must self-verify their eligibility for any of the three programs managed under Express Entry.

These dedicated webpages can help you understand more about the eligibility requirements for each Express Entry-managed program:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

Only after verifying their eligibility for one of these programs will candidates be able to create an Express Entry profile and potentially receive an ITA for PR in Canada.

Example profiles of successful ITA recipients

The following showcases Express Entry profiles for three fictional FSWP candidates to illustrate profiles that would have been strong enough to receive an ITA during IRCC’s latest all-program draw.

Elena from Poland

This is what Elena’s Express Entry profile looked like when she entered the candidate pool at 28 years old.

• Age: 28
• Highest Level of Completed Education: Post-secondary credential of three or more years
• 2nd Post-Secondary Credential: Yes
• Study in Canada: No
• English Proficiency: Eight for all abilities
• French Proficiency: Four for all abilities
• Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Outside Canada within the last 10 years: Two years
• Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: One year
• Years Worked In Canada During the Last Three Years: One to Three years
• Marriage/Common-Law Partnership: No
• Sibling in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): Yes
• Trades Certificate of Qualification: No
• Provincial Nomination: No
• Skilled Job Offer from Canadian Employer: Yes
• Job Offer for Senior Managerial Position: Yes
• Full-Time Job Offer for Minimum One Year: Yes
• Job Offer Supported by Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA): Yes

Result: With this profile, Elena’s CRS score was 661. Therefore, Elena’s Express Entry profile was strong enough to earn her an ITA in IRCC’s most recent all-program/general draw.

Joel from the United States of America

Joel entered the Express Entry candidate pool with this profile:

• Age: 32
• Highest Level of Completed Education: Secondary School credential
• 2nd Post-Secondary Credential: No
• Study in Canada: No
• English Proficiency: 10 for all abilities
• French Proficiency: Less than three for all abilities
• Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Outside Canada within the last 10 years: Six or more years
• Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: None
• Marriage/Common-Law Partnership: Yes
• Spouse’s Highest Level of Completed Education: Post-secondary credential of three or more years
• Spouse’s Study in Canada: No
• Spouse’s Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: None
• Spouse’s English Proficiency: 10 for all abilities
• Spouse’s French Proficiency: Less than three for all abilities
• Sibling in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): No
• “Close Family Member” in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): No
• Trades Certificate of Qualification: No
• Provincial Nomination: Yes
• Skilled Job Offer from Canadian Employer: No

Result: This profile helped Joel earn an ITA from IRCC on February 13 with a CRS score of 919.

Nadine from South Africa

Nadine entered the Express Entry candidate pool when she was 24 years old. The rest of her profile looked like this:

• Age: 24
• Highest Level of Completed Education: Post-secondary credential of three or more years
• 2nd Post-Secondary Credential: No
• Study in Canada: No
• English Proficiency: 10 for all abilities
• French Proficiency: Seven for all abilities
• Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Outside Canada within the last 10 years: Two years
• Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: None
• Marriage/Common-Law Partnership: No
• Sibling in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): Yes
• Trades Certificate of Qualification: No
• Provincial Nomination: No
• Skilled Job Offer from Canadian Employer: Yes
• Job Offer for Senior Managerial Position: No
• Full-Time Job Offer for Minimum One Year: Yes
• Job Offer Supported by LMIA: Yes

Result: With the above profile, Nadine earned a CRS score of 543 and was issued an ITA from IRCC during their latest all-program draw.

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