Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has issued 1,530 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in the eighteenth draw from the Express Entry pool, which took place today, October 2. Candidates in the pool with 450 or more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points are being invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence, with processing times of six months or less.

This draw from the Express Entry pool marks the ninth draw in succession in which a number of candidates without a qualifying job offer or an enhanced provincial nomination certificate were selected. It is also the ninth draw in a row in which more than 1,400 candidates were selected.

The previous Express Entry draw, which took place on September 18, marked a landmark moment in the short history of the Express Entry selection system for Canadian immigration, as it was the first occasion where the CRS requirement had dipped to 450.

The latest draw keeps the CRS requirement at 450. Consequently, each candidate who receives an ITA as a result of this draw has either entered the Express Entry pool at some stage over the past two weeks or increased his or her CRS score in that time. With an increasing number of Canadian provinces having introduced Express Entry streams as part of their Provincial Nominee Programs, candidates in the Express Entry pool have been able to take advantage of opportunities for increasing their ranking and obtaining the all-important ITA. The provinces of Ontario and Saskatchewan, as well as the Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, have all introduced such streams in recent months. In addition, it was announced earlier this month that Nova Scotia has been given an increased allocation for the Express Entry streams of its Nova Scotia Nominee Program.

If a candidate in the pool obtains a qualifying job offer or an enhanced provincial nomination certificate, he or she is awarded 600 CRS points and will receive an invitation to apply at a subsequent draw from the pool.

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 October 2 (All dates are for 2015)

• Launch date: January 1
• First draw from the pool: January 31
• Most recent draw from the pool: October 2
• Minimum CRS points required for selection in any one draw: 450 (September 18 & October 2)
• Largest number of invitations to apply issued in any one draw: 1,637 (March 27)
• Fewest invitations to apply issued in any one draw: 715
• Largest decrease in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 273 (from May 22 to June 12 draws)
• Smallest decrease in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 0 (from September 18 to October 2 draws)
• Largest increase in CRS points required between two consecutive draws: 302 (from April 17 to May 22 draws)
• Smallest increase in CRS points required between two consecutive draws:0 (from September 18 to October 2 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 five occasions)
• Total number of invitations to apply issued: 23,542

Draws From The Express Entry Pool (Updated)