Express Entry pool gets more top heavy

From May 24 to June 21, the number of top-scoring Express Entry profiles grew at a rate 4,400% faster than the overall pool.

The overall Express Entry pool grew by 0.33%, while the number of candidates scoring 501 or higher increased by 14.64%.

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The 501–1,200 range accounted for 74.4% of all profile gains among score bands that expanded.

Around 10% of Express Entry profiles fall within the top-scoring band, while a typical Canadian Experience Class draw will issue invitations only to the top 1-2% of profiles.

What changes occurred in the Express Entry pool over the four-week period?

Between May 24 and June 21, the Express Entry pool grew from 238,847 to 239,645—a net increase of just 798.

Growth was most pronounced in the 501–600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score range, where the number of candidates rose by approximately 11.52%. This bracket accounted for 8.35% of the total Express Entry pool.

Here are the top three brackets that experienced growth beyond the 501–600 range:

• The 601–1,200 range gained 609 profiles;
• The 471–480 range gained 278 profiles; and
• The 481–490 range gained 275 profiles.

The growth in the 601–1,200 range between May 24–June 21 represents a reversal compared to April 26–May 24 data, which instead saw this score range drop from 472 to 332 candidates.

The other two ranges that saw the highest growth reflect the ongoing pattern of candidate accumulation in the upper-mid CRS bands across recent reporting periods.

On the other hand, the pool contracted considerably in several score band ranges:

• The 0–400 bands lost a combined total of 1,312 profiles—684 from the 351–400 range alone; and
• The 411–460 bands lost a combined total of 1,489 profiles—with the greatest loss (-421 profiles) coming from the 431–440 range.

For the decreases in the 0–400 bands seen between May 24 and June 21, these were not influenced by draw activity, as the CRS cut-off of the lowest draw during that time was 409. Those lower-band decreases likely came from other pool movements: expirations, withdrawals, ineligibility, or candidates increasing their scores and moving into higher ranges.

Note: the June 21 pool composition data does not account for the draws that took place between June 22–June 23.

In total, seven score ranges saw growth, while eight experienced dips:

CRS score range	May 24	June 21	Difference
0–300	8,303	8,104	-199
301–350	18,375	17,946	-429
351–400	52,581	51,897	-684
401–410	11,782	11,968	+186
411–420	12,402	12,128	-274
421–430	12,915	12,584	-331
431–440	14,401	13,980	-421
441–450	14,463	14,147	-316
451–460	15,274	15,127	-147
461–470	16,262	16,358	+96
471–480	17,040	17,318	+278
481–490	13,323	13,598	+275
491–500	13,449	13,537	+88
501–600	17,945	20,012	+2,067
601–1,200	332	941	+609
Total	238,847	239,645	+798

These distributions are compared in the chart below for easier visualization:

What accounted for the changes in Express Entry profiles between May 24 and June 21?

IRCC conducted three draws between May 24 and June 21, inviting a combined total of 7,834 candidates.

Date of draw	Round type	Invitations issued	CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited
May 25	Provincial Nominee Program	334	805
May 27	Canadian Experience Class	3,000	518
May 28	French-Language proficiency	4,500	409

Despite 7,834 invitations to apply being issued over that time, the pool grew by 798 profiles.

Factors contributing to the growth of the pool include new profiles being created, aged-out profiles being reactivated, or invalid profiles becoming valid due to changes.

Factors contributing to the shrinkage of the pool, aside from invitations, include profiles expiring, profiles being withdrawn, or profiles becoming invalid due to a change affecting the primary applicant’s eligibility.

How competitive is the Express Entry pool as of the latest data?

The table below breaks down the competitiveness of the Express Entry pool, comparing the percentage of candidates in each score range and the percentile ranges at the boundaries of those ranges.

The calculations are based on data from June 21.

CRS score range	Number of candidates	Cumulative	Percentile range	Percentage
0–300	8,104	8,104	0.00%–3.38%	3.38%
301–350	17,946	26,050	3.38%–10.87%	7.49%
351–400	51,897	77,947	10.87%–32.53%	21.66%
401–410	11,968	89,915	32.53%–37.52%	4.99%
411–420	12,128	102,043	37.52%–42.58%	5.06%
421–430	12,584	114,627	42.58%–47.83%	5.25%
431–440	13,980	128,607	47.83%–53.67%	5.83%
441–450	14,147	142,754	53.67%–59.57%	5.90%
451–460	15,127	157,881	59.57%–65.88%	6.31%
461–470	16,358	174,239	65.88%–72.71%	6.83%
471–480	17,318	191,557	72.71%–79.93%	7.23%
481–490	13,598	205,155	79.93%–85.61%	5.67%
491–500	13,537	218,692	85.61%–91.26%	5.65%
501–600	20,012	238,704	91.26%–99.61%	8.35%
601–1,200	941	239,645	99.61%–100.00%	0.39%

The percentile figures represent how many candidates in the Express Entry pool have CRS scores at or below the upper limit of each score range.

For clarity, the percentiles are displayed as ranges, as candidates within any given CRS bracket may fall between the two values shown.

Which draws have not been accounted for in the June 21 distribution?

The immigration department’s latest Express Entry data does not consider the two draws that occurred after June 21:

Date of draw	Round type	Invitations issued	CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited
June 23	Canadian Experience Class	4,000	515
June 22	Provincial Nominee Program	955	730

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