Celebrating 300 Express Entry Draws: What’s Happened and What’s To Come

Some Key Findings

First draw: January 31, 2015 | no program specified | Invitations issued – 779 | CRS cut off – 886

Draw # 300: July 4th 2024 | Category-based draw targeting trade occupations |  Invitations issued- 1,800 | CRS cut off- 436

Breakdown of draws per type:

All-program/ general draw- 178

Canadian Experience Class draw- 27

Category- based draws – 28

Federal Skilled Trade draw- 7

Federal Skilled Worker draw- 1

PNP- 60

*note there are 301 draws in total, this is because draw # 91 was actually 2 draws 91a, a Federal Skilled Trades draw and 91b a Provincial Nominee Program draw

Total Number of invitations issued: 750, 521

Most invitations issued in 1 draw:  Draw # 176 | Canadian Experience Class | February 13th, 2021 | Invitations issued- 27,332 | CRS cut off- 75 

Least amount of invitations issued in 1 draw:  Draw # 143 | PNP | April 15th, 2020 | Invitations issued- 118 | CRS cut off- 808

Average CRS score across 300 draws: 518

Lowest CRS cut-off

Lowest ever CRS cut off: Draw # 176 | Canadian Experience Class | February 13th, 2021 | Invitations issued- 27,332 | CRS cut off- 75

Lowest ever CRS cut-off for an all-program/ general draw:  Draw # 65 | May 31, 2017 | Invitations issued- 3,877 | CRS cut off- 413 – What we wouldn’t give to see this again!

Lowest ever CRS cut-off for a Canadian Experience Class draw: Draw # 176 | February 13th, 2021 | Invitations issued- 27,332 | CRS cut off- 75 – This was one that will go down in Express Entry draw history.

Lowest ever CRS cut-off for a Federal Skilled Trade draw:  Draw # 64 | May 26, 2017 | Invitations issued- 400 | CRS cut off- 199 

Lowest ever CRS cut-off for a Federal Skilled Worker draw:  Draw # 240 | February 2, 2023 | Invitations issued- 3,300 | CRS cut off- 489- fun fact- there has only ever been 1 draw targeting federal skilled workers. Federal skilled workers are normally selected in all- program, general draws. 

Lowest ever CRS cut-off for a PNP draw:  Draw # 298| June 19th, 2023 | Invitations issued- 1,499 | CRS cut off- 663

Highest CRS cut-off

Highest CRS cut off for a general draw: Draw # 272| December 6th, 2023 | Invitations issued- 4,750 | CRS cut off- 561

Highest CRS cut-off for a Canadian Experience Class draw: Draw # 3 | February 20th, 2015 | Invitations issued- 849 | CRS cut off- 808 

Highest CRS cut-off for a Federal Skilled Trade draw:  Draw # 159 | August 6, 2020 | Invitations issued- 250 | CRS cut off- 415 

Highest CRS cut-off for a PNP draw:  Draw # 91b| May 30, 2018 | Invitations issued- 200 | CRS cut off- 902

What Can We Expect from Future Draws?

We know there will be changes coming to Express Entry draws in 2025, including some that will affect the occupations that make up the category-based draws. But what do we expect from the next 300 draws?

Considering it has taken us almost 10 years to get to 300 draws, guessing what the next few hundred draws will look like is tough, but here are some of our guesses:

• In the upcoming years, Express Entry draws focus on inviting those who are already in Canada, assisting in their transition to PR.
• IRCC will move away from all program, general draws, instead, focus on program and work experience or language proficiency.
• PNP’s will be given higher quotas within the pool.
• The CRS points grid may be updated to give points to areas of work experience or education (this would be following the points grid for the Quebec Regular Skilled Worker program)
• Processing times will remain competitive if only to help the speed in which people transition from temporary to permanent status.
• We may see more regional targeting within economic immigration. We aren’t sure what this would look like, but it could be additional points for candidates with work experience outside of Canada’s major cities or the addition of more pilot programs.

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