Ni.Nis.. what is with all the loathing? you can just expect sympathy from the members.. but in case you really want to got to Canada then pick yourself up and try for increasing your score.. else wait for cut off score to go lower than your CRS.. its true that the scores have gone higher, and they will continue to because of the recent popularity and awareness.. if you see the candidates vs score structure, there are hell lot of people above 440, 450 and even higher.. once you have got your ECA done and collected all the points you can, the only way to increase your score would be to improve on IELTS score.. Age is not on your side.. the more you delay, the lesser points you'll get for age as well.. And remember, its not the ITA, your points should remain valid till the processing is complete.. So better try to get an ITA about 4-6 months before your next b'day..