After a slower December of Express Entry draws, IRCC has already begun issuing ITAs via Express Entry this year as the department looks to meet its landings target for 2025. Today, we will discuss the state of the Express Entry pool as of January 2025.
Well, established patterns in Express Entry draw types – specifically the prioritization of candidates in enhanced Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) and those with French-language proficiency – continued to be present last month and can inform expectations of which IRCC will likely invite in the future.
December 2024 saw only three draws take place, contrasting with November & October, each of which saw six Express Entry selections.
What Draws Took Place In December 2024?
Before discussing the review of the Express Entry pool in January 2025, let us look at the draws that occurred in December 2024.
IRCC conducted three Express Entry draws in December: two selections were held for candidates in Express Entry-aligned PNPs, with the remaining draw inviting candidates with French-language proficiency.
The number of ITAs issued in December was again in contrast to both November and October:
| Month | ITAs Issued |
| October | 5,961 |
| November | 5,507 |
| December | 2,561 |
A summary of Express Entry draws in December is as follows:
| Draw Number | Date | Draw Type | ITAs Issued | CRS Cut-Off Score |
| 328 | December 2, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 676 | 705 |
| 329 | December 3, 2024 | French Language Proficiency | 800 | 466 |
| 330 | December 16, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,085 | 727 |
PNP and French-language proficiency candidates saw continued emphasis in Express Entry selections throughout the latter half of 2024, with the system consistently averaging roughly two PNP draws and at least one French language draw a month.
The prevalence of these two draw types in recent months aligns with the establishment of the new ‘In-Canada Focus’ allocation under the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan and Canada’s commitment to increasing Francophone immigration outside of Quebec.
Canadian Experience Class draws make up a portion of IRCC’s ‘In-Canada Focus’ were absent in December of 2024 – against a contrast to previous months, in which the department issued invitations to CEC candidates at a comparable rate to PNP nominees in the Express Entry system.
While some analysts have speculated that this pause is due to the pending removal of Comprehensive Ranking system points allocated for valid job offers, IRCC has not confirmed that this is the case.
What Is The Current Distribution Of Scores In The Express Entry Pool?
In the review of the Express Entry pool in January 2025, let us discuss the current distribution of the same.
| CRS Score Range | Number Of Candidates |
| 0 – 300 | 5,554 |
| 301 – 350 | 21,788 |
| 351 – 400 | 50,607 |
| 401 – 410 | 11,611 |
| 411 – 420 | 12,224 |
| 421 – 430 | 11,901 |
| 431 – 440 | 13,030 |
| 441 – 450 | 11,938 |
| 451 – 460 | 12,397 |
| 461 – 470 | 13,034 |
| 471 – 480 | 14,965 |
| 481 – 490 | 12,492 |
| 491 – 500 | 12,811 |
| 501 – 600 | 23,240 |
| 601 – 1200 | 171 |
| Total | 227,763 |
Of note is that since the previously reported numbers on December 16, 2024, there has been an increase of 6,453 candidate profiles in the Express Entry pool, 52% of which scored within the 501-600 CRS score range.
How Do Scores In The Express Entry Pool Rank Against One Another?
The following table shows the distribution of scores within the Express Entry candidate pool as of January 8, along with their percentile range and the percentage of the overall candidate pool within that score range.
Candidates in the Express Entry pool can use this data to get a better idea of their competitiveness within the Express Entry system. While there are a number of factors that can influence an Express Entry draw, a key determinator of the CRS cut-off for an Express Entry selection is the composition of the candidate pool at the time of the draw.
Percentile scores were calculated for the upper boundary of each score range, showing the proportion of candidates (relative to the total number in the pool below that score). Due to the fact that IRCC data is presented through score ranges, a range is given for the percentiles to better align percentiles with the corresponding CRS score range.
| CRS Score Range | Number Of Candidates | Percentile Range | Percentage |
| 0 – 300 | 5,554 | 0 – 2.44% | 2.44% |
| 301 – 350 | 21,788 | 2.44 – 12.00% | 9.57% |
| 351 – 400 | 50,607 | 12.00 – 34.22% | 22.22% |
| 401 – 410 | 11,611 | 34.22 – 39.32% | 5.10% |
| 411 – 420 | 12,224 | 39.32 – 44.69% | 5.37% |
| 421 – 430 | 11,901 | 44.69 – 49.91% | 5.23% |
| 431 – 440 | 13,030 | 49.91 – 55.63% | 5.72% |
| 441 – 450 | 11,938 | 55.63 – 60.88% | 5.42% |
| 451 – 460 | 12,397 | 60.88 – 66.32% | 5.44% |
| 461 – 470 | 13,034 | 66.32 – 72.04% | 5.72% |
| 471 – 480 | 14,965 | 72.04 – 78.61% | 6.57% |
| 481 – 490 | 12,492 | 78.61 – 81.66% | 5.48% |
| 491 – 500 | 12,811 | 81.66 – 89.72% | 5.62% |
| 501 – 600 | 23,240 | 89.72 – 99.92% | 10.20% |
| 601 – 1200 | 171 | 99.92 – 100.00% | 0.08% |
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