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Permanent Immigration to Canada – Trends in the Express Entry Rounds of Invitations

On April 12th, 2023, Immigration Canada issued a round of invitations under the Express Entry system. This was the sixth round of 2023 that was open to candidates from all programs, and it marked the end of the downward trend of the score required to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence. To be invited, candidates were required to have a Comprehensive Ranking System (“CRS”) score of at least 486, whereas this minimum score was 481 on March 29 and 484 on March 23. In general, the score required to receive an invitation is still much higher than it was before the pandemic. In such circumstances, it might be of interest for certain candidates to increase their chances by reviewing their eligibility to programs other than Express Entry, such as the Provincial Nominee Program or the Immigration Pilot Programs.

Express Entry is the main system for permanent economic immigration to Canada. All candidates who wish to immigrate under the Canadian Experience Class, the Skilled Worker Program (federal) or the Skilled Trades Program (federal) must create a profile in the Express Entry system. Each profile receives a score based on the candidate’s personal attributes (age, level of education, work experience, language skills, etc.). On a regular basis, Immigration Canada invites candidates with the highest scores to submit an application for permanent residence. Within this system, it is not possible to submit an application without having received an invitation.

The score required to receive an invitation varies over time. Before the pandemic, this score was usually around 470. Since July 2022, it has never dropped below 481 and has been around 490 for the last few weeks. While this difference may seem small, it may nevertheless strongly disadvantage some candidates (for example, those who are older, who do not have a master’s degree or who have lower scores on the mandatory language tests). However, other permanent immigration programs that are independent of the Express Entry system do exist and may offer a viable alternative for these candidates.

For more information on one of those alternative programs other than the Express Entry system, please visit: Exploring Paths to Permanent Residence: The BC PNP – Skilled Worker Stream.

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