What is Express Entry’s tie-breaking rule and how does it work?

The tie-breaking rule can be a determining factor when it comes to a candidate receiving an invitation to apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residency (PR) through Express Entry.

Each Express Entry draw invites a specific number of candidates to apply for PR.

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Note: To apply for PR through Express Entry, a candidate must first receive an ITA (that is, they cannot apply without one).

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCA) issues ITAs to the top-ranking candidates who meet the requirements of the ministerial instructions for the round of invitations. The Express Entry system ranks candidates using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to assign a score to each candidate based on factors such as their age, education, qualifications, and language skills.

For example, if IRCC issues 3,000 invitations in a draw, then the 3,000 highest-ranking candidates will receive invitations.

When more than one candidate has the same CRS score, the tie breaking rule comes into effect to decide who gets priority. It is based on the date and time when someone has submitted their Express Entry profile.

This is specifically important for those candidates whose CRS score is the same as the draw cut-off, when determining which candidate gets priority.

So, if more than one candidate has the same CRS score, the candidate whose profile was in the pool for longer will get priority.

For example:

Take two candidates, Lara and Jean, who have profiles in the Express Entry pool.

Both Lara and Jean both have a CRS score of 542.

Lara submitted their Express Entry profile on September 18, 2024.

Jean submitted their Express Entry profile on September 20, 2024.

When an Express Entry draw is held in November 2024, the CRS cut-off is determined to be 542.

Since both candidates have the same CRS score, the tie-breaking rule is applied which means the candidate with that date who submitted their Express Entry profile before a specific date and time were issued an invitation.

IRCC usually announced the date and time used for every draw. The date and time for this specific draw is September 19.

That means Lara would get an ITA in this invitation round, but Jean will not.

Jean’s profile stays in the pool and they still have a chance of getting invited, in a subsequent draw.

Note: a candidate’s CRS score is still the main factor taken into consideration when selecting candidates to be invited to apply for PR.

Why is the tie-breaking rule important?

The Express Entry pool has been growing steadily over the last few years.

As the pool gets larger, the probability of multiple candidates having the same score increases.

This makes the tie breaking rule even more important when determining who gets an invitation to apply.

What happens if I make changes to my Express Entry profile?

If a candidate makes changes to their Express Entry profile, that does not change the timestamp of when their profile was first submitted.

However, if a candidate deletes their profile and resubmits later, the timestamp of resubmission will be the new timestamp.

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is Canada’s online system that manages applications of skilled workers who wish to become Permanent Residents of Canada.

It manages three programs:

• The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP);
• The Canadian Experience Class (CEC); and
• The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

Eligible candidates receive a score based on criteria such as their age, education, work experience and language skills.

The Canadian government then routinely holds draws inviting the highest scoring candidates to apply for permanent residence by issuing them ITAs.

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