Express Entry #169: 5,000 ITAs are issued in the new draw

Express Entry #169: 5,000 ITAs are issued in the new draw

Canada held its 169th Express Entry draw on November 25. A total of 5,000 ITA are issued.

The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score in this round was 469, same as the previous draw held on November 25, 2020.

This draw brings the number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued this year to 102,350, a record high number of invitations.

Canada’s main three categories are managed under the Express Entry System are: –

• Federal Skilled Worker Class
• Federal Skilled Trades Class
• Canadian Experience Class

In the Express Entry system, eligible candidates for the FSWC, FSTC, CEC programs, and some Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates are scored based on the Comprehensive Ranking System, or CRS.

Candidates are ranked in the pool based on the CRS that considers 4 main factors: –

1. Age
2. Education
3. Skilled work experience
4. Proficiency in English or French

While a job offer is not required in order to be eligible under the Express Entry system, the CRS does award additional points to candidates who have one.

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) applied a tie break rule in today’s draw; candidates had to have submitted their profiles before June 4, 2020, at 22:26:05 UTC. This means that all candidates with CRS scores above 469, as well as those with scores of 469 who entered their profile in the Express Entry pool before this date and time, received an ITA.

This is the second time in a row that the CRS requirement has dipped to 469. The CRS requirement has typically hovered above 470 for all program draws. The Federal Skilled Trades Program-only draw on August 6 invited trades workers with a CRS of 415, and previous Canadian Experience Class-only draws dipped into the 440s. PNP-only draws have higher requirements because Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are automatically awarded an additional 600 CRS points. PNPs offer alternative pathways to permanent residence for Express Entry candidates who have a lower CRS score.