The ninth draw from the Express Entry pool was performed by Citizenship andImmigration Canada (CIC) on May 22, 2015. A total of 1,361 invitations to apply for Canadian permanent residence were issued to candidates with 755 or more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points.

Due to the fact that the previous Express Entry draw had taken place five weeks previously — by far the longest gap between draws since the system came into operation on January 1, 2015 — many candidates had been waiting with anticipation for this draw.

While the four draws before this most recent draw selected a portion of candidates who did not have a qualifying job offer from a Canadian employer or an enhanced provincial nomination, this ninth draw selected only candidates with a job offer or nomination. Receving a qualifying job offer supported by a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) oran enhanced provincial nomination results in the candidate being awarded 600 points under the Comprehensive Ranking System and receiving a subsequent invitation to apply for permanent residence. A positive LMIA is required in order for a candidate to be deemed to have a qualifying job offer from a Canadian employer.

The relatively lengthy gap between the past two draws allowed time for new candidates, who may not have been in the Express Entry pool previously, to enter the pool. A number of other candidates, who may have been in the pool when previous draws had been performed, may have had time to obtain a positive LMIA or an enhanced provincial nomination certificate.

Express Entry

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.

Click here for more information on draws from the Express Entry pool that have taken place so far.

Express Entry quick facts, from January 1 to May 23 (All dates are for 2015)

• Launch date: January 1
• First draw from the pool: January 31
• Most recent draw from the pool: May 22
• Minimum CRS points required for selection in any one draw: 453 (March 27 and April 17 draws)
• Largest number of invitations to apply issued in any one draw: 1,637 (March 27 draw)
• Fewest invitations to apply issued in any one draw: 715
• Largest decrease in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 254 (from February 27 to March 20 draws)
• Smallest decrease in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 10 (from February 7 to February 20 draws)
• Largest increase in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 302 (from April 17 to May 22 draws)
• Longest gap between two consecutive draws: 35 days (from April 17 to May 22 draws)
• Shortest gap between two consecutive draws: 7 days (on four occasions)
• Total number of invitations to apply issued: 8,927