Will the CRS score Required to get an Invitation to Apply drop?

One of the top concerns of most candidates filling the Express Entry profile is the score they have to attain in order to receive an ITA (invitation to apply) for permanent residence. In 2018, the IRCC is only giving ITAs to candidates who receive at least 441 points.  Should we expect the score to drop even lower by the end of the year? That’s a debatable question. We’ll take a look at several facts to understand this better.

What is the CRS score and how is it determined?

The Express Entry system was established to provide a fast and effective way for Canada to process and evaluate applications from economic immigrants. There are 3 main programs under this system: Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades (FST) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Candidates are expected to fill their profile by including information such as their age, work experience, language proficiency, and dependents. The information will then be evaluated and the person will be assigned a score out of 1200 points.

The score, which is commonly referred to as the Comprehensive Ranking System Score is given based on the candidates work experience, language proficiency, family profile among other factors. The immigration officials will then draw a pool of candidates who received the highest score and send them an Invitation to Apply. With an ITA, candidates can now submit their application for permanent residence under any of the 3 programs mentioned above. The lowest CRS score ever required to receive an ITA is 413 points. In 2018, the minimum CRS score for candidates to receive an invitation to apply has been set at 441 points.

Can the CRS score change this year?

There are a number of factors that could possibly determine whether the CRS scores will change. They include the number of time it takes between draws, how many ITAs are issued in each draw and the number of new profiles submitted. Keep in mind that in 2018, the IRCC has a higher target for immigrants who will be accepted through the Express Entry system. From 160,000 in 2017, the IRCC is expected to accept 172,000 new permanent residents in 2018 through the economic programs. This means that the immigration officials are likely to issue more ITAs than they did the past year based on these targets alone.

It is reasonable to, therefore, predict that later in 2018, as the ITA levels catch up to that of 2017, the immigration officials will drop the minimum CRS score in order to issue more ITAs and meet the 2018 target. However, there are other variables which cannot be accurately predicted such as the new Express Entry profiles that will be submitted by candidates in 2018. If there is a significant increase in the number of Express Entry profiles submitted this year, the score may remain higher because the competition is high.

If you want to increase your chances of getting an ITA, partner with an Express Entry lawyer Canada who’ll help you to complete your profile and get a good CRS score.