Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has extended invitations to a particular set of immigrants to apply for Canada Express Entry if they want to reside there permanently. Invitations to apply for permanent residency through the Express Entry scheme were distributed on January 31, 2024. The goal of the Canada Express Entry program is to enable skilled immigrants to become permanent residents of Canada.

Through regular Express Entry lotteries, sometimes called rounds of invites, held by the Canadian government, candidates from the Express Entry pool are asked to apply for permanent residency.

In the Draw, candidates are rated based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) results. A candidate’s CRS score, which ranges from 1200 to 1200, is determined by several factors, including as age, education, work experience, language proficiency, and more.

On January 31, 2024, a total of 730 invites were sent out using the Express Entry system Draw number 281. Invitations are sent to those qualified foreign nationals who place among the top 730 in the group ranking. The lowest-ranked candidate invited had a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 541.

If many candidates have the lowest score, the cut-off is determined by the time and date on which their Express Entry profiles were submitted. The CRS cutoff score for the last all-program Express Entry draw on January 10 was 546.

Regular Express Entry drawings typically occur around every two weeks. However, this was changed in 2023 with the addition of the new categories. The number of candidates in the pool, the program, the specific category, and the immigration goals established by the Canadian government all affect the CRS cut-off score for each Express Entry draw. This CRS cut-off score also represents the lowest-ranking applicant who is invited to apply (ITA) for permanent residence in the draw.

CRS score distribution of candidates in the Express Entry pool as of January 31, 2024

CRS score range Number of candidates

601-1200 534
501-600 7,926
451-500 60,120
491-500 6,787
481-490 9,668
471-480 17,586
461-470 14,160
451-460 11,919
401-450 54,181
441-450 10,930
431-440 11,219
421-430 10,104
411-420 10,874
401-410 11,054
351-400 57,855
301-350 29,709
0-300 5,401
Total 215,726