In an all-program/general Express Entry draw last week, 1,490 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) were sent out by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
ITAs were awarded to eligible applicants from all three Express Entry-managed programs* who met the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirement of 535 during this draw, which was held on February 13.
The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) are the three economic immigration programs for which the federal government of Canada uses the application management system Express Entry to handle immigration applications.
Even though the IRCC awarded over 1,400 ITAs in its most recent general draw, many applicants who were not selected for an ITA from this draw are left wondering what would have made their profiles good enough to be selected by the IRCC due to the variation in the cut-off CRS score utilized for each draw.
The following will demonstrate, using fictitious instances, how applicants with various Express Entry profiles may have qualified for an ITA at the IRCC’s draw on February 13, 2024.
Qualification for regular Express Entry drawings
It is important to keep in mind that all Express Entry applicants are required to independently confirm their eligibility for any of the three programs overseen by Express Entry before evaluating the fictitious Express Entry profiles provided here.
You may learn more about the prerequisites for any Express Entry-managed program by visiting these specific webpages:
- Program for Federal Skilled Workers (FSWP)
- Program for Federal Skilled Trades (FSTP)
- Experience Canada Class (CEC)
Candidates will not be allowed to construct an Express Entry profile or perhaps acquire an ITA for permanent residence in Canada unless they have confirmed their eligibility for one of these programs.
Sample ITA recipient profiles that are successful
The Express Entry profiles for three fictitious FSWP applicants are shown below to demonstrate the kinds of profiles that would have been competitive enough to earn an ITA in the most recent all-program draw held by the IRCC.
Elena, a Polish woman
Elena, then 28 years old, had the following Express Entry profile when she joined the applicant pool.
- Age: 28
- Highest Level of Completed Education: Post-secondary credential of three or more years
- 2nd Post-Secondary Credential: Yes
- Study in Canada: No
- English Proficiency: Eight for all abilities
- French Proficiency: Four for all abilities
- Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Outside Canada within the last 10 years: Two years
- Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: One year
- Years Worked In Canada During the Last Three Years: One to Three years
- Marriage/Common-Law Partnership: No
- Sibling in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): Yes
- Trades Certificate of Qualification: No
- Provincial Nomination: No
- Skilled Job Offer from Canadian Employer: Yes
- Job Offer for Senior Managerial Position: Yes
- Full-Time Job Offer for Minimum One Year: Yes
- Job Offer Supported by Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA): Yes
Result: With this profile, Elena’s CRS score was 661. Therefore, Elena’s Express Entry profile was strong enough to earn her an ITA in IRCC’s most recent all-program/general draw.
Joel from the United States of America
Joel entered the Express Entry candidate pool with this profile:
- Age: 32
- Highest Level of Completed Education: Secondary School credential
- 2nd Post-Secondary Credential: No
- Study in Canada: No
- English Proficiency: 10 for all abilities
- French Proficiency: Less than three for all abilities
- Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Outside Canada within the last 10 years: Six or more years
- Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: None
- Marriage/Common-Law Partnership: Yes
- Spouse’s Highest Level of Completed Education: Post-secondary credential of three or more years
- Spouse’s Study in Canada: No
- Spouse’s Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: None
- Spouse’s English Proficiency: 10 for all abilities
- Spouse’s French Proficiency: Less than three for all abilities
- Sibling in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): No
- “Close Family Member” in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): No
- Trades Certificate of Qualification: No
- Provincial Nomination: Yes
- Skilled Job Offer from Canadian Employer: No
Result: Joel received an ITA from IRCC on February 13 with a CRS score of 919 thanks to this profile.
From South Africa, Nadine
At the age of 24, Nadine joined the Express Entry applicant pool. The remainder of her profile appeared as follows:
- Age: 24
- Highest Level of Completed Education: Post-secondary credential of three or more years
- 2nd Post-Secondary Credential: No
- Study in Canada: No
- English Proficiency: 10 for all abilities
- French Proficiency: Seven for all abilities
- Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Outside Canada within the last 10 years: Two years
- Full-Time Skilled Work Experience Inside Canada within the last 10 years: None
- Marriage/Common-Law Partnership: No
- Sibling in Canada (Citizen or Permanent Resident, living in Canada, 18+ years old): Yes
- Trades Certificate of Qualification: No
- Provincial Nomination: No
- Skilled Job Offer from Canadian Employer: Yes
- Job Offer for Senior Managerial Position: No
- Full-Time Job Offer for Minimum One Year: Yes
- Job Offer Supported by LMIA: Yes
Result: During the most recent all-program draw, Nadine received an ITA from IRCC with the profile mentioned above, earning her a CRS score of 543.
