Following a slowdown in Express Entry draws during September, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) ramped up the frequency of federal immigration selections throughout October.

Moreover, IRCC conducted the second trade occupations-focused Express Entry draw of 2024, marking the first such selection since July.

This article will provide an overview of the draws held in October and analyze the composition of the Express Entry candidate pool as of early November.

The present condition of the Express Entry pool

Which draws took place in October?

In October, there were six Express Entry draws conducted across four different streams and selection categories.

Through these draws, the immigration department issued 5,961 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence (PR), closely matching the 5,911 ITAs issued in September.

Because a similar number of ITAs were distributed over a greater number of draws, the draw sizes in October were generally smaller compared to September. Additionally, the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off scores for each draw were higher than those in September.

The below provides details on the Express Entry draws held in October: 

  • Draw 316: Held on October 7, 2024, for the PNP. Issued 1,613 ITAs with a CRS score of 743.
  • Draw 317: Conducted on October 9, 2024, for the CEC. Issued 500 ITAs with a CRS score of 539.
  • Draw 318: Took place on October 10, 2024, for French Language Proficiency. Issued 1,000 ITAs with a CRS score of 444.
  • Draw 319: Happened on October 21, 2024, for the PNP. Issued 648 ITAs with a CRS score of 791.
  • Draw 320: Occurred on October 22, 2024, for the CEC. Issued 400 ITAs with a CRS score of 539.
  • Draw 321: Conducted on October 23, 2024, for Trade Occupations. Issued 1,800 ITAs with a CRS score of 433.

IRCC has maintained its practice of regularly inviting candidates from the CEC, PNP, and French-language categories within the Express Entry pool to apply for permanent residence. Since July of this year, the immigration department has consistently held draws for these streams. According to the new Immigration Levels Plan, IRCC has also stated that it will continue to prioritize these groups for PR selection through the federal Express Entry system.

While the number of ITAs issued in October was slightly higher than in September, it still represents a decline when compared to earlier months.

  • July: A total of 25,125 ITAs were issued.
  • August: The number of ITAs issued dropped to 10,384.
  • September: Only 5,911 ITAs were issued.
  • October: The total ITAs issued slightly increased to 5,961.

What is the current score distribution in the Express Entry pool?

As of October 22, the date of the latest Express Entry draw at the time of writing, the distribution of candidate scores in the Express Entry pool is as follows:

  • CRS Score Range 0-300: There are 5,462 candidates.
  • CRS Score Range 301-350: The number of candidates is 22,928.
  • CRS Score Range 351-400: There are 51,048 candidates.
  • CRS Score Range 401-410: The total number of candidates is 10,871.
  • CRS Score Range 411-420: There are 11,071 candidates.
  • CRS Score Range 421-430: The number of candidates is 10,583.
  • CRS Score Range 431-440: There are 12,047 candidates.
  • CRS Score Range 441-450: The total number of candidates is 10,931.
  • CRS Score Range 451-460: There are 11,306 candidates.
  • CRS Score Range 461-470: The number of candidates is 12,900.
  • CRS Score Range 471-480: There are 14,914 candidates.
  • CRS Score Range 481-490: The total number of candidates is 12,240.
  • CRS Score Range 491-500: There are 11,925 candidates.
  • CRS Score Range 501-600: The number of candidates is 13,430.
  • CRS Score Range 601-1200: There are 124 candidates.
  • Total Candidates: The overall total is 211,780.

How do the scores in the pool compare to one another?

The following points uses percentile scores to provide a clearer picture of how specific CRS scores rank within the overall distribution of scores in the Express Entry candidate pool.

We calculated a percentile score for the upper limit of each CRS score range, indicating the percentage of candidates with scores at or below that threshold in relation to the total number of candidates in the pool.

Since IRCC data is presented in ranges, we computed the percentile only for the highest CRS score within each range.

Below are the percentile ranges for the top scores in each IRCC-reported range, along with the percentage of candidates falling within each percentile range:

CRS Score Range 0-300:

  • There are 5,462 candidates.
  • The percentile range is 0 – 2.58%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 2.58%.

CRS Score Range 301-350:

  • The number of candidates is 22,928.
  • The percentile range is 2.58 – 13.41%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 10.83%.

CRS Score Range 351-400:

  • There are 51,048 candidates.
  • The percentile range is 13.41 – 37.51%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 24.10%.

CRS Score Range 401-410:

  • The number of candidates is 10,871.
  • The percentile range is 37.51 – 42.64%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 5.13%.

CRS Score Range 411-420:

  • There are 11,071 candidates.
  • The percentile range is 42.64 – 47.87%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 5.23%.

CRS Score Range 421-430:

  • The number of candidates is 10,583.
  • The percentile range is 47.87 – 52.87%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 5.00%.

CRS Score Range 431-440:

  • There are 12,047 candidates.
  • The percentile range is 52.87 – 58.56%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 5.69%.

CRS Score Range 441-450:

  • The number of candidates is 10,931.
  • The percentile range is 58.56 – 63.72%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 5.16%.

CRS Score Range 451-460:

  • There are 11,306 candidates.
  • The percentile range is 63.27 – 69.06%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 5.34%.

CRS Score Range 461-470:

  • The number of candidates is 12,900.
  • The percentile range is 69.06 – 75.15%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 6.09%.

CRS Score Range 471-480:

  • There are 14,914 candidates.
  • The percentile range is 75.15 – 82.19%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 7.04%.

CRS Score Range 481-490:

  • The number of candidates is 12,240.
  • The percentile range is 82.19 – 87.97%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 5.78%.

CRS Score Range 491-500:

  • There are 11,925 candidates.
  • The percentile range is 87.97 – 93.60%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 5.63%.

CRS Score Range 501-600:

  • The number of candidates is 13,430.
  • The percentile range is 93.60 – 99.94%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 6.34%.

CRS Score Range 601-1200:

  • There are 124 candidates.
  • The percentile range is 99.94 – 100.00%.
  • The percentage of candidates is 0.06%.