November 2024: Current Status of the Express Entry Pool

After a slowdown in Express Entry draws throughout September, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) ramped up the frequency of federal immigration selections during October.

Additionally, IRCC conducted its second Express Entry draw for trade occupations in 2024, marking the first selection for this category since July.

In addition to these increased draws, IRCC conducted its second Express Entry draw for trade occupations in 2024. This was the first selection for candidates in this group since July, underscoring IRCC's interest in attracting skilled workers in trades to support Canada’s labor market needs.

This article will analyze the draws that took place in October and provide an overview of the Express Entry candidate pool as we enter November.

Overview of Express Entry Draws in October

October featured six Express Entry draws across four distinct streams and selection categories. The immigration department issued a total of 5,961 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence (PR) through these draws, which is comparable to the 5,911 ITAs granted in the previous month.

Although the total number of ITAs increased in October, the distribution was spread across more draws, resulting in generally smaller draw sizes compared to September. Furthermore, the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off scores for each draw rose in comparison to the previous month.

IRCC conducted six Express Entry draws spanning four different streams and selection categories, resulting in the issuance of a total of 5,961 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence (PR). This figure aligns closely with the 5,911 ITAs issued in September, demonstrating IRCC's steady pace in processing Express Entry candidates.

IRCC has maintained its trend of regularly inviting candidates from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and French-language categories to apply for PR. Draws for these categories have been consistently conducted since July.

According to the new Immigration Levels Plan released by IRCC, there will be an ongoing emphasis on prioritizing these candidates for PR selection through the federal Express Entry system. While the number of ITAs issued in October was slightly higher than that of September, it still indicates a decline compared to earlier months.

Distribution of Scores in the Express Entry Pool

CRS cut-off scores increased in October as a result of the similar number of ITAs spread over a greater number of draws, which raised the average score required for selection in each draw. This shift suggests that candidates with higher scores, especially those eligible for prioritized categories, continue to have a competitive advantage.

As of October 22, the date of the most recent Express Entry draw at the time of writing, the distribution of candidate scores within the Express Entry pool is as follows:

Ranking of Scores in the Pool

The following table provides a percentile score to give a clearer view of how specific CRS scores rank relative to the overall distribution of scores in the Express Entry candidate pool. Percentile data helps candidates understand how their scores rank relative to others and where they stand in the competition for ITAs. For instance, a higher percentile rank indicates a relatively high score compared to the pool average, improving the candidate’s chances of selection in a subsequent draw.

To facilitate this understanding, we have calculated a percentile score for the upper limit of each CRS score range, which illustrates the proportion of candidates scoring at or below that threshold compared to the total number of candidates in the pool.

Since IRCC presents data in ranges, the percentile calculation is provided only for the highest CRS score within each range.

The following details the percentile ranges for the top scores in each IRCC-reported range, along with the percentage of candidates scoring within each percentile bracket: