CRS score drops to 380 which is the second lowest in 2021 as IRCC continues to draw on candidates living in Canada amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Canada held a new Express Entry draw on May 31, inviting 5,956 candidates to apply for permanent residence.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited candidates with scores of at least 380. The new draw targeted candidates who are eligible for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Invited candidates have had at least one year of skilled work experience in Canada plus intermediate official language skills, among other criteria, in order to be eligible for the CEC.

Today’s draw was the third largest Express Entry draw ever and had the second-lowest Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) in 2021. Previous draw records were also set this year with IRCC inviting a record 27,332 CEC candidates in one draw in February and 6,000 CEC candidates each in two separate draws in April.

Compared to the previous CEC-only draw two weeks ago, Canada invited 4,114 more candidates today and the score requirement was 17 points lower. Three weeks ago, Canada also held a CEC draw, inviting candidates with scores as low as 401.

In-Canada candidates at the top of the line

Canada has been prioritizing candidates who are more likely to be already living in the country, since the start of the year. With the current travel restrictions in place, candidates who are approved overseas cannot travel to complete their permanent residency landing. According to the Canadian government, it makes more sense to target domestic candidates.

According to IRCC data from May 6, about 95 per cent of CEC candidates were in the Express Entry pool at that time. IRCC has been holding CEC draws about every two weeks, except for this three-week spring following a surprise draw on May 20. Plus, every two weeks the immigration department holds a draw targeting Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates.

Despite the pandemic, Canada is still admitting record-breaking numbers of new immigrants over the next three years. This year alone, 108,500 new immigrants are supposed to come through Express Entry-managed programs. So far, IRCC has invited 74,773 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence.

The large number comes from the historic February 13 draw where IRCC invited every CEC-eligible candidate in the pool, a total of 27,332 people. In this draw alone, 23,877 invited candidates filled out applications before the 90-day deadline, IRCC told CIC News in an email.

PNP-only and CEC-only draws have vastly different CRS requirements. This is because PNP candidates automatically get an additional 600 points toward their overall score. CEC candidates are not competing for invitations from other programs. As a result, IRCC takes more off the top allowing for the cutoff score to drop. In the previous CEC-only draw, the CRS requirement dropped to 397.