Today marks the two-year anniversary of the Express Entry system. We have seen many exciting changes during 2016 and Express Entry showed indications that there will be even more changes coming in 2017. These changes will definitely be favorable to those applying under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class, and Provincial Nominee Program.
On the other hand, the changes that came into effect in November 2016 made it very clear that studying in Canada is now more favored than before. The points awarded for obtaining Canadian education could be the boost any Express Entry candidate needs, with a chance of obtaining a PGWP that enables a candidate to get Canadian work experience. On the other hands, job offers supported by LMIA are now less favored, with lower points granted for that. And finally, PNP streams remain the highest regarded programs to obtain an additional 600 points that get candidates in the front line to obtain an ITA.
As we witnessed in the last six draws of 2016, there is a spike in the number of ITA’s being issued. We are looking forward to seeing more ITA’s being issued in 2017 and we are hoping that the average number of ITA’s per draw will be around 2,000 ITA’s per draw. While the end of 2016 did not see a drastic drop in the CRS scores, we are anticipating that 2017 will have a good start with CRS scores ranging between 450-470 points.
As with 2016, the same “Golden Rule” will apply to 2017. To have a CRS score over 450 points, a candidate should be under the age of 30, complete a Master’s Degree, have three years of full-time work experience outside Canada, and achieve CLB level 9 in each IELTS bracket.
The most recent Express Entry draw was conducted on December 22, 2016 with 2,878 ITA’s issued and a lowest CRS score of 475 points.
This is the highest number of ITA’s to be issued till date. During 2016, there were 27 draws that took place and 33,672 total ITA’s issued. That is an average lowest score of 491 points per draw and an average 1,247 ITA’s per draw.
We put together a summary of the round of invitations during 2016, along with the number of candidates that will get an Invitation to Apply (ITA), and if it applies, which specific immigration program(s) are included.
Draws from IRCC Express Entry Pool (Updated 12/22/16):
Number of Invitations to Apply (ITA) Issued:
Minimum CRS Points Required:
As of January 1, 2015, foreign nationals must receive an invitation from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) before they may apply to the above programs. Express Entry eliminates the requirement to process applicants in these programs through a first come first serve basis. IRCC aims to process 80 percent of complete Express Entry applications in six months or less. Under Express Entry, candidates who meet the criteria will be accepted into a pool of possible candidates for immigration to Canada. Candidates will be ranked against others in the pool using a point-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System. IRCC will regularly select the highest-ranking candidates from the pool by inviting them to apply to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents.
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