After a slowdown in Express Entry draws throughout September, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) increased the frequency of federal immigration selections throughout the month of October.
In addition to this, IRCC also held the second Express Entry trade occupations draw of 2024, the first selection for this group since July of this year.
This article will break down the draws that occurred in October and discuss the composition of the Express Entry candidate pool at the start of November.
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The current state of the Express Entry pool
What draws occurred in October?
October saw six Express Entry draws occur across four different streams and selection categories.
The immigration department issued 5,961 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence (PR) through these draws, which is in-line with the 5,911 ITAs issued in the previous month.
Due to a similar number of ITAs issued over more draws, draw sizes tended to be smaller in October than in September. Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off scores for each draw also increased when compared to September.
The following table details Express Entry draws in October:
| Draw Number | Date | Round Type | ITAs Issued | CRS Cut-off Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 316 | October 7, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 1,613 | 743 |
| 317 | October 9, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 500 | 539 |
| 318 | October 10, 2024 | French Language Proficiency | 1,000 | 444 |
| 319 | October 21, 2024 | PNP | 648 | 791 |
| 320 | October 22, 2024 | CEC | 400 | 539 |
| 321 | October 23, 2024 | Trade Occupations | 1,800 | 433 |
IRCC has preserved its pattern of routinely inviting CEC, PNP, and French-language category candidates in the Express Entry pool to apply for PR. The immigration department has consistently held draws for candidates in these categories/streams since July of this year.
IRCC has also indicated in their new Immigration Levels Plan that they will continue to prioritize these candidates for PR selection through the federal Express Entry system.
Though the number of ITAs issued in October was slightly higher than the number issued in September, it still reflects a decrease in the total ITAs issued when compared to previous months:
| Month | ITAs Issued |
|---|---|
| July | 25,125 |
| August | 10,384 |
| September | 5,911 |
| October | 5,961 |
What is the current distribution of scores in the Express Entry pool?
As of October 22 (the date of the most recent Express Entry draw at the time of writing), the breakdown of candidate scores within the Express Entry pool is as follows:
| CRS Score Range | Number of Candidates |
|---|---|
| 0-300 | 5,462 |
| 301-350 | 22,928 |
| 351-400 | 51,048 |
| 401-410 | 10,871 |
| 411-420 | 11,071 |
| 421-430 | 10,583 |
| 431-440 | 12,047 |
| 441-450 | 10,931 |
| 451-460 | 11,306 |
| 461-470 | 12,900 |
| 471-480 | 14,914 |
| 481-490 | 12,240 |
| 491-500 | 11,925 |
| 501-600 | 13,430 |
| 601-1200 | 124 |
| Total | 211,780 |
This data is also presented as a bar graph for further visualization:
How do scores in the pool rank against each other?
The following table uses percentile scores to provide a clearer understanding of how specific CRS scores rank within the overall distribution of CRS scores in the Express Entry candidate pool.
We’ve calculated a percentile score for the upper boundary of each CRS score range, representing the proportion of candidates with scores at or below that threshold relative to the total number in the pool.
Since IRCC data is presented in ranges, we calculated the percentile only for the highest CRS score in each range.
Below are the percentile ranges for the top scores in each IRCC-reported range, along with the percentage of candidates scoring within each percentile range:
| CRS Score Range | Number of Candidates | Percentile Range | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-300 | 5,462 | 0 - 2.58% | 2.58% |
| 301-350 | 22,928 | 2.58 - 13.41% | 10.83% |
| 351-400 | 51,048 | 13.41 - 37.51% | 24.10% |
| 401-410 | 10,871 | 37.51 - 42.64% | 5.13% |
| 411-420 | 11,071 | 42.64 - 47.87% | 5.23% |
| 421-430 | 10,583 | 47.87 - 52.87% | 5.00% |
| 431-440 | 12,047 | 52.87 - 58.56% | 5.69% |
| 441-450 | 10,931 | 58.56 - 63.72% | 5.16% |
| 451-460 | 11,306 | 63.27 - 69.06% | 5.34% |
| 461-470 | 12,900 | 69.06 - 75.15% | 6.09% |
| 471-480 | 14,914 | 75.15 - 82.19% | 7.04% |
| 481-490 | 12,240 | 82.19 - 87.97% | 5.78% |
| 491-500 | 11,925 | 87.97 - 93.60% | 5.63% |
| 501-600 | 13,430 | 93.60 - 99.94% | 6.34% |
| 601-1200 | 124 | 99.94 - 100.00% | 0.06% |
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