First Express Entry Draw of 2016 Sees 1,463 Candidates Invited to Apply for Immigration to Canada

the CanadaVisa Team - 07 January, 2016

The first Express Entry draw of the new year, and the 24th since the Canadian immigration selection system came was launched last year, took place on Wednesday, January 6, 2016. A total of 1,463 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for Canadian permanent residence were issued to candidates with 461 or more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points.

Entering year two of Express Entry

While this latest draw represents a marginal increase in the CRS requirement from the previous (23rd) draw, candidates in the Express Entry pool have cause for optimism in the new year. During a webinar hosted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) on December 16, 2015, a CIC Policy Analyst made some important announcements regarding the short- and medium-term future of Express Entry.

“The number of invitations issued per round is expected to increase as the pre-Express Entry inventory of applications is finalised. In turn, it is expected that the minimum score of those that are invited to apply will drop,” she stated.

The Policy Analyst added that "we expect that in the new year when our rounds start growing — to meet our new levels plan — that the score will reduce."

Express Entry

Express Entry is Canada's immigration management system for the federal economic immigration programs, namely: Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, and the Canadian Experience Class. Express Entry came into operation on January 1, 2015.

Eligible candidates may submit a profile into the Express Entry pool, where they are ranked according to the CRS. The government of Canada selects the top-ranked candidates on a priority basis when it performs one of its frequent draws from the pool. Candidates who are issued an invitation to apply for permanent residence then have 60 days to submit a complete e-application, from which point the government of Canada aims to process the application within six months. A number of early applicants have had their applications processed in under half that time.

For more information on draws from the Express Entry pool that have taken place so far, click here.

Express Entry quick facts, from January 1, 2015 to January 6, 2016

Launch date: January 1, 2015
First draw from the pool: January 31, 2015
Most recent draw from the pool: January 6, 2016
Minimum CRS points required for selection in any one draw: 450 (September 18, 2015 & October 2, 2015)
Largest number of invitations to apply issued in any one draw: 1,637 (March 27, 2015)
Fewest invitations to apply issued in any one draw: 715
Largest decrease in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 273 (from May 22, 2015 to June 12, 2015 draws)
Smallest decrease in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 0 (from September 18, 2015 to October 2, 2015 draws)
Largest increase in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 302 (from April 17, 2015 to May 22, 2015 draws)
Smallest increase in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 0 (from September 18, 2015 to October 2, 2015 draws)
Longest gap between two consecutive draws: 35 days (from April 17, 2015 to May 22, 2015 draws)
Shortest gap between two consecutive draws: 7 days (on six occasions)
Total number of invitations to apply issued: 32,526

Draws From The Express Entry Pool (Updated)

	Date when Invitations To Apply Were Issued	Number of Invitations Issued	Minimum CRS Points Required	Program Specified
1st Express Entry Draw	January 31, 2015	779	886	All Programs
2nd Express Entry Draw	February 7, 2015	779	818	All Programs
3rd Express Entry Draw	February 20, 2015	849	808	Canadian Experience Class
4th Express Entry Draw	February 27, 2015	1,187	735	All Programs
5th Express Entry Draw	March 20, 2015	1,620	481	All Programs
6th Express Entry Draw	March 27, 2015	1,637	453	All Programs
7th Express Entry Draw	April 10, 2015	925	469	All Programs
8th Express Entry Draw	April 17, 2015	715	453	All Programs
9th Express Entry Draw	May 22, 2015	1,361	755	All Programs
10th Express Entry Draw	June 12, 2015	1,501	482	All Programs
11th Express Entry Draw	June 27, 2015	1,575	469	All Programs
12th Express Entry Draw	July 10, 2015	1,516	463	All Programs
13th Express Entry Draw	July 17, 2015	1,581	451	All Programs
14th Express Entry Draw	August 7, 2015	1,402	471	All Programs
15th Express Entry Draw	August 21, 2015	1,523	456	All Programs
16th Express Entry Draw	September 8, 2015	1,517	459	All Programs
17th Express Entry Draw	September 18, 2015	1,545	450	All Programs
18th Express Entry Draw	October 2, 2015	1,530	450	All Programs
19th Express Entry Draw	October 23, 2015	1,502	489	All Programs
20th Express Entry Draw	November 13, 2015	1,506	484	All Programs
21st Express Entry Draw	November 27, 2015	1,559	472	All Programs
22nd Express Entry Draw	December 4, 2015	1,451	461	All Programs
23rd Express Entry Draw	December 18, 2015	1,503	460	All Programs
24th Express Entry Draw	January 6, 2016	1,463	461	All Programs

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