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Canada has invited 5,000 immigration candidates to apply for permanent residence in a new Express Entry draw held on December 9.

Invited candidates needed a  (CRS) score of at least 469 in order to be invited.

This draw brings the number of (ITAs) issued this year to 102,350, a record high number of invitations.

is Canada’s immigration application management system for three federal economic-class programs: ,Ìý, and .

Candidates in these programs, as well as some (PNPs), are given a score based on the CRS. Points are awarded depending on a candidates’ human capital factors such as age, education, work experience, and language ability in English or French.

The highest scoring candidates receive an ITA, which they can then use to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

The number of ITAs issued to date is the highest it has ever been. Canada surpassed its ITA target on November 18, when a record-breaking 5,000 ITAs were issued. There has also never been a single year where the number of ITAs issued surpassed 100,000.

The large number of ITAs is in line with Canada’s commitment to welcome over 400,000 new immigrants in 2021, most of them coming through the Express Entry system.

In case of a tie between candidates, IRCC applies the tie-breaking rule. So, for this draw, candidates who had a CRS score of 469 or more, needed to have submitted their Express Entry profile before June 4, 2020, at 22:26:05 UTC in order to receive an invitation.

This is the second time in a row that the CRS requirement has dipped to 469. The CRS requirement has typically hovered above 470 for all program draws. The Federal Skilled Trades Program-only draw on August 6 invited trades workers with a CRS of 415, and previous Canadian Experience Class-only draws dipped into the 440s. PNP-only draws have higher requirements because Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are automatically awarded an additional 600 CRS points. PNPs offer alternative pathways to permanent residence for Express Entry candidates who have a lower CRS score.

Who is invited?

The following are hypothetical examples of people who may have been invited in today’s draw.

Abdelkarim is 29, holds a Master’s degree and has been working as an accountant for four years. He wrote the IELTS and scored an 8 in each category. While Abdelkarim has never worked or studied in Canada, his CRS of 478 would have been high enough to obtain an ITA in today's draw.

ElazarÌý²¹²Ô»å Sarah are married and are each 35 years old. They each hold bachelor’s degrees, have been working as software developers for five years and each has demonstrated an intermediate English language proficiency. They submitted an Express Entry profile with Sarah as the principal applicant and initially had a CRS score of 304. The Canadian province of Ontario invited them to apply for nomination, and their score increased to 904. They received an ITA in today's Express Entry draw.

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