The single biggest factor keeping scores high is the sheer number of highly qualified individuals who are constantly joining the pool. As some of you have said, this is a direct result of the extremely harsh US immigration policy, as well as the increasing anti-immigrant sentiment in that country.
A lot of people who would never have considered Canada are now applying for Express Entry - many of them are staying put in the US and hoping things improve, but some are actually moving here. There's also a large influx of workers - all the big US tech companies are furiously expanding their Canadian offices because they cannot afford to lose talent due to capricious H1B policies. These workers then become eligible for EE after spending a year here.
From Canada's perspective I suppose it's a good thing that we are a more attractive immigration/international student destination. However, it's certainly painful if you're in the 450s and there's a constant stream of 480+ people joining. If you're in your late 20s, have worked 3 years, have a Master's and a high IELTS score, you will get 480. And that profile is exactly what tens of thousands of people in the US have - they moved for grad school in their early 20s, started working as soon as they graduated, and have high IELTS scores. Five years ago, none of these people would have considered Canada, but times are different now.
I don't agree with the sentiment that IRCC is somehow deliberately keeping scores up. The pool numbers, the targets, and the full breakdown are all public information, so unless you feel that those numbers are fake, it's pretty clear to see that more and more high scoring people are joining the pool. Yes, if the Minister doubles the immigration target the scores will fall - conversely they will rise if the targets get smaller. But IRCC can't control who is joining the pool.
In my opinion, the coming Canadian federal election and next year's US election will have a major impact on what happens next. Personally, I would hope that all talented and qualified EE candidates make it through. As long as you have done everything you can on your end (maximized CRS points), the rest will come down to luck and geopolitical issues that no one can predict or control (for e.g if post-Brexit (if that happens) tons of people from the UK start applying as well.. OTOH, if the US settles down, that will cause scores to drop).
I hope that you don't lose hope and begin to despair. Things change all the time. Wait and see.
A lot of people who would never have considered Canada are now applying for Express Entry - many of them are staying put in the US and hoping things improve, but some are actually moving here. There's also a large influx of workers - all the big US tech companies are furiously expanding their Canadian offices because they cannot afford to lose talent due to capricious H1B policies. These workers then become eligible for EE after spending a year here.
From Canada's perspective I suppose it's a good thing that we are a more attractive immigration/international student destination. However, it's certainly painful if you're in the 450s and there's a constant stream of 480+ people joining. If you're in your late 20s, have worked 3 years, have a Master's and a high IELTS score, you will get 480. And that profile is exactly what tens of thousands of people in the US have - they moved for grad school in their early 20s, started working as soon as they graduated, and have high IELTS scores. Five years ago, none of these people would have considered Canada, but times are different now.
I don't agree with the sentiment that IRCC is somehow deliberately keeping scores up. The pool numbers, the targets, and the full breakdown are all public information, so unless you feel that those numbers are fake, it's pretty clear to see that more and more high scoring people are joining the pool. Yes, if the Minister doubles the immigration target the scores will fall - conversely they will rise if the targets get smaller. But IRCC can't control who is joining the pool.
In my opinion, the coming Canadian federal election and next year's US election will have a major impact on what happens next. Personally, I would hope that all talented and qualified EE candidates make it through. As long as you have done everything you can on your end (maximized CRS points), the rest will come down to luck and geopolitical issues that no one can predict or control (for e.g if post-Brexit (if that happens) tons of people from the UK start applying as well.. OTOH, if the US settles down, that will cause scores to drop).
I hope that you don't lose hope and begin to despair. Things change all the time. Wait and see.
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