The CRS cut-off has increased to 404 in Canada’s most recent Express Entry round of invitations.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has invited 3,000 candidates to apply for permanent residence in the 200th Express Entry draw.
This round of invitations targeted only Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates. After over two months of draws with a CRS cut-off below 400 for CEC candidates, Canada has increased the minimum score to 404. The number of invitations issued in today’s draw has also decreased significantly from the past two months; this may suggest that fewer CEC candidates are entering the Express Entry pool.
The minimum score has increase by nearly 50 points from the last CEC specific draw, which saw a CRS cut-off of 357.
Following today’s draw, Canada has issued 102,316 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) so far in 2021. At the same time last year, Canada had issued just 61,600 ITAs. By lowering the CRS cut-off for candidates within Canada, IRCC is on track to meet its historic target of over 400,000 newcomers this year.
Draw Summary
Draw Number: 200
Date of Draw: August 5th, 2021
Number of Invitations Issued: 3000
Minimum CRS: 404
Program Specified: Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Tie-breaking rule: August 3rd, 2021
How can I be eligible for a CEC Express Entry draw?
To be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class, candidates must have at least one year of Canadian work experience. The experience must have been completed in a skilled occupation with valid authorization within the past three years prior to applying. Eligible applicants must also score a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 on each area of the official language exam. If the Canadian work experience is in NOC skill type B, candidates require only a CLB 5.
Upon submitting a profile, Express Entry candidates are ranked by a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and given a CRS score. In regular Express Entry draws, Canada targets certain candidates with CRS scores above the chosen cut-off.
Lauren Boorman
