The Government of Canada has invited 2,750 candidates in the federal Express Entry pool to apply for Canadian permanent residence in a draw that took place Dec. 6. The cut-off Comprehensive Ranking System score for this draw was 452.
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The draw once again made use of the tie-break procedure that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced in June. While some candidates with a score of 452 received Invitations To Apply (ITAs), the tie-break means that only those candidates with a CRS score of 452 who entered their profiles in the Express Entry pool prior to a specified date and time received an ITA. In this case, that time and date was November 16, 2017 at 04:20:20 UTC.
Today’s cut-off score of 452 is up 13 points over the previous draw, which took place on Nov. 15. This is likely due to the time that elapsed between the two draws, which allowed more candidates to enter the Express Entry pool, and the size of the draw.
A cut-off CRS score of 452 is exceptional given the range of CRS scores in 2017, with CRS cut-off scores in the 430s occurring most often. On a very few occasions, scores ranged into the low 400s and high 450s.
Given the Government of Canada’s increased ITA targets in the three Express Entry economic immigration classes for 2018, it is hoped the CRS scores will continue to drop. IRCC will have to perform either larger or more frequent draws from Express Entry pool in the new year, or both. Each of those scenarios could have the effect of lowering the cut-off CRS score.Apply