Why older Express Entry profiles have an advantage in getting selected

You can meet the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off score for an Express Entry draw, and still not receive an invitation to apply (ITA).

The date and time of your Express Entry profile submission can play a key role in determining whether your receive an ITA for permanent residence (PR).

Recently, due to one specific selection condition present in every Express Entry draw, older profiles have an advantage over newly created profiles due to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC’s) tie-breaking rule.

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The tie-breaking rule comes into effect only when more than one candidate has the same CRS score at the draw’s cut-off, removing those with newer profiles from eligibility.

This article will detail how IRCC’s tie-breaking rule advantages older Express Entry profiles (with a fictional example to illustrate), as well as associated considerations.

How IRCC’s tie-breaking rule works

Periodically, IRCC conducts Express Entry draws through which it invites a select number of candidates to apply for PR.

In each draw, the highest-ranking candidates are invited, based on their CRS score. One’s score is the foremost determining factor considered during selection rounds.

However, when multiple candidates have the same CRS score at the cutoff, IRCC applies what is known as the tie-breaking rule to decide who will get an invitation.

Under this rule, only those who submitted their profile prior to that exact timestamp provided by IRCC will receive an invitation.

The tie-breaking rule is a secondary selection tool.

For instance, if IRCC lists the tie-breaking rule as “December 12, 2025, at 11:31:27 UTC,” then—despite multiple candidates having the same CRS cut off—the candidate who created a profile before that date and time will receive the ITA.

Candidates with the same score but a later submission timestamp would remain in the pool until a future draw.

Note: The tie-breaking rule is the only scenario in which older Express Entry profiles provide an advantage over newer profiles.

An Express Entry profile does not gain points simply for time spent in the candidate pool, nor does profile age automatically push a candidate ahead of someone with a higher score.

The tie-breaking rule was implemented by IRCC in June 2017.

Fictional example

Consider two Express Entry candidates, Khalil and Rajeesh, who both have a CRS score of 509.

Khalil submitted his profile on November 8, 2025, at 10:20 a.m. UTC, while Rajeesh submitted his on November 8, 2025, at 10:34 a.m. UTC.

IRCC holds an Express Entry draw for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) on December 18, 2025, inviting 3,000 candidates to apply for PR. The CRS cut-off for this draw is 509—the exact CRS score of both candidates.

The date and time of the tie-breaking rule for this draw is set at November 8, 2025, at 10:31:54 UTC.

Even though both candidates have a CRS score of 509, Khalil receives an ITA while Rajeesh does not, solely because Khalil submitted his profile earlier (by mere minutes)—and thereby fell behind the tie-breaking cutoff for that selection round.

Rajeesh’s profile will remain in the pool until he qualifies for an ITA in an upcoming draw based on his CRS score, and the draw’s tie-breaking date and time.

In this particular case, anyone with a CRS score of 509 or lower who submitted their profile on or after November 8, 2025, at 10:31:54 UTC was ineligible for an ITA in the (fictional) December 18 draw.

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Considerations

1) Does updating my Express Entry profile affect the profile submission timestamp?

The date and time at which you submitted your Express Entry profile will not change if you update your profile to better reflect your current situation (e.g., adding better language test results or updating your spouse’s qualifications).

This is because your profile’s timestamp is reflective of when you joined the pool, and it will remain unchanged up until your profile expires or you receive an ITA.

If your Express Entry profile expires before you can get an ITA, you will have to create a new profile. You will also have to create a new profile if your language test results expire while still in the pool, as this will cause your profile to be removed (requiring recreation with new results)—thereby impacting your submission timestamp.

2) If my profile expires and I create a new one, do I get to keep my old profile submission timestamp?

No. Creating a new Express Entry profile results in a new submission timestamp. As such, you will no longer benefit from your old profile’s submission timestamp for tie-breaking purposes.

Express Entry profiles are only valid for 12 months from the date of submission—after which they expire, and all associated information is wiped and no longer accessible.

3) Is it still worth entering the pool early if I don’t have a competitive CRS score?

Entering the pool before you have a “competitive” CRS score has no downsides, only potential positives, such as

• Securing an earlier profile submission date, which will help you under the tie-breaking rule if scores are equal; and
• Eligibility in the case that IRCC conducts a draw with an uncharacteristically low cutoff—such as the February 13, 2021, CEC draw which had a cutoff of just 75 points and saw over 27,000 candidates invited.

If you enter the pool early, you can continue working towards improving your qualifications. For example, if you are close to completing a bachelor’s degree, you can create your profile with your current qualifications and update it after graduation—potentially increasing your CRS score without losing your original submission date.

Waiting until you have a “competitive” score may result in missed opportunities.

4) What’s more important, my CRS score or date of profile submission?

While older Express Entry profiles can offer an advantage, this benefit is limited to very specific situations. The tie-breaking rule is only applied when multiple candidates have the exact same CRS score at the cut-off for a given draw. In these cases, candidates who submitted their profiles earlier are prioritized.

This means that profile age is not a general advantage across the pool. If your CRS score is above the cut-off, you will receive an invitation regardless of when you created your profile. Conversely, if your score is below the cut-off, the tie-breaking rule will not come into play at all—no matter how long your profile has been in the pool.

As a result, while having an older profile can be helpful in narrowly defined circumstances, it should be viewed as a secondary factor rather than a primary strategy. Maintaining or improving your CRS score remains the most important determinant of receiving an ITA.

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