Express Entry Score Too Low? Creating a Profile Is Still An Option!

Last month was an exciting period for the Canadian Express Entry system. The IRCC invited over 27K Canadian Experience Class applicants to apply for permanent residence in a single draw! To learn more about this historic draw, check out this article.

So what takeaways can be made after last month? The IRCC is clearly working hard to meet its ambitious immigration targets for the year. Candidates with scores that would not have been sufficient during the past 2–3 years or maybe even in the past history of the system received an invitation to apply. The focus was on the candidates with Canadian experience but the IRCC still has candidates from other economic immigration programs left to invite.

This begs to ask an important question: is it still worth creating an Express Entry profile if your CRS score is lower than average? Some candidates can be put off from creating a profile if they know their score isn’t close to or above the minimum cutoff from the last few draws. According to this article from CIC News, it is still recommended to create a profile as long as you meet the program eligibility criteria.

Here’s why:

1. The IRCC is going out of its way to meet the immigration targets. This was shown with the February 13 draw. People with significantly lower CRS scores that met the eligibility criteria for the program got invited to apply! Being already in the pool increases your ability to be in the right place at the right time should the IRCC conduct such a draw again.
2. Already being in the pool can make you eligible for Express Entry aligned Provincial Nominee Program streams. You can apply for Express Entry and afterwards request a provincial nomination. Receiving one gives you an extra 600 CRS points — thus improving your position in the pool.
3. You can work on improving your score while already being in the pool. Some ways to improve it include getting better language scores, securing a job offer, gaining at least a year of Canadian work experience, or acquiring a Canadian education. You can discuss score improvement options with a lawyer or consultant.

So here you go, if you’re eligible for Express Entry through one of the three economic immigration programs, it could be a good idea to create and submit your profile to try your luck with the pool!

Some additional analysis regarding Canada’s 2021 immigration goals:

Why Canada’s 401,000 immigration target for 2021 is achievable

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