May 4, 2017 -Ottawa has offered some current insight into the Canada Express Entry Pool by publishing a snapshot of candidates and their Comprehensive Ranking System scores.
The snapshot, showing a composition of the pool on April 13th and 28th, 2017, shows an overall number of 48,914 and 48, 384 candidates respectively, in the pool, down nearly 10,000 from the start of 2017.
Figures show how more than 20,000 candidates are hovering just below the 400-point mark and need just a few extra points to jump above the threshold to received an Invitation to Apply for a Canada visa.
The lowest minimum score in the history of Canada Express Entry (415) was recorded in the draw on April 19, 2017, putting thousands of candidates on the brink of an ITA.
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Also significant is how few candidates score 600 points and above compared to the turn of the year.
In a January 3, 2017 snapshot, there were more than 490 candidates scoring more than 600 points, but that number dropped to 108 in the April snapshot.
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Each time a draw is made, the number of high scoring candidates drops to zero, with CRS cut-offs falling under 450 in most 2017 draws.
The November 2016 rule changes will also have had an impact on the number of top scoring candidates.
With the 600 points for a qualified job offer removed, the number of candidates able to reach the guaranteed ITA totals has dropped significantly.
The only factor worth 600 points following the changes is a provincial nomination.
The important message for candidates looking at the composition of the pool is to do everything possible to boost that CRS score and achieve Canada immigration.
Read More
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Canada Express Entry 2017 Quarterly Review: Lower CRS Scores, Higher ITA Numbers
Canada Express Entry: Important Changes to Canada Immigration System
If you are in the lower 400s and have not updated your profile with your latest work experience, or your spouse or partner’s qualifications, you could be costing yourself an invitation.
Record high ITA numbers and record low CRS scores have been a feature of Canada Express Entry so far in 2017.
Estimates suggest that more than 60,000 ITAs will be issued over the course of the current year.
The reasons for the high numbers are four-fold.
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada aims to receive near the upper target of its annual immigration levels for economic class immigrants.
- The government now has a much clearer picture of how ITAs relate to submitted applications. It has two years of data showing how many candidates received ITAs but failed to submit their applications. The relationship between ITAs, completed applications and immigrants arriving in Canada is a key driver when setting ITA numbers.
- The time it takes to complete an application from the date of an ITA, with the target being six months. As such, IRCC is aware it must issue a certain number of ITAs during specified quarters so that those invited arrive in the calendar year. This was also part of the reason behind the increase in ITAs at the end of 2016. These candidates would be counted against the 2017 immigration target.
- The backlog of applications that formed under the previous system before Express Entry began are now almost all cleared. This means that sometime soon every new federal economic class permanent resident must all come through Express Entry.
Three more Express Entry changes are planned for June 6, 2017. These include:
1) More points for French language
Candidates will score 15 additional points for a level 7 in listening, speaking, reading and writing in the Niveau de Competence Canadiens (NLC) combined with an English score of 4 or below in the Canadian Language Benchmark (Linguistique CLB).
Those points will rise to 30 if the French level 7 is combined with an English level 5 or above.
The extra points are in addition to the existing language points. Up to 136 points can be awarded for a candidate’s first official language, and 24 points for the second.
2) New points for having a sibling in Canada
Canada immigration statistics show having a sibling accelerates integration – a key measure of a successful immigration system.
Therefore, candidates with a sibling living in Canada will be awarded 15 extra points under Canada Express Entry.
The sibling must be age 18 or older and be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. They must share a mother or father with the principal candidate or their spouse or common-law partner. The relationship can be blood, marriage, common-law or adoption.
3) Job bank registration no longer mandatory
The changes also include an end to mandatory job bank registration for all candidates without a job offer, although this does not impact points.
Express Entry In the Rest of 2017
The past six months have shown that IRCC officials intend to refine the Express Entry system.
As immigration priorities change, improvements to the way points are given under the program can be made.
Expect to see continued high numbers of ITAs issued in the course of 2017. The first draw of April already set a new record for the all-time lowest CRS score and there is no sign the trend will not continue.
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