Canada Express Entry: 825 candidates invited for permanent residency

The latest draw was limited to Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates

Canada has issued 825 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence in its latest Express Entry draw, which was held on April 14, 2025. This was the first draw since Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) removed Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for arranged employment.

 

The draw was limited to Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates, and applicants needed a minimum CRS score of 764 to be eligible. Only those who had created an Express Entry profile by August 17, 2024, were considered.

 

Recent Express Entry draw history

 

April 14, 2025: 825 ITAs issued in a PNP draw; CRS cut-off was 764  

 

March 21, 2025: 7,500 ITAs issued for French language proficiency; CRS cut-off was 379  

March 17, 2025: 536 ITAs issued in a PNP draw; CRS cut-off was 736  

March 6, 2025: 4,500 ITAs issued for French language proficiency; CRS cut-off was 410  

March 3, 2025: 725 ITAs issued in a PNP draw; CRS cut-off was 667

 

So far in 2025, Canada has issued 31,508 ITAs through the Express Entry system.

 

What happens after an ITA is issued

 

Candidates who receive an ITA have 60 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence. Required documents include:

 

Valid passport or travel document  

Birth certificate  

Proof of work experience  

Police clearance  

Immigration medical exam results  

Proof of settlement funds  

Photographs of the applicant and included family members  

 

IRCC’s Immigration Levels Plan for 2025–2027 sets a target of 124,680 new permanent residents through Express Entry in 2025. However, ITAs do not always translate into landings, as some applications may be refused or returned.

 

Effects of removing CRS points for arranged employment

 

The decision to remove CRS points for arranged employment has changed the makeup of the Express Entry pool. Candidates who previously had job offers supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) could receive 50 or 200 additional CRS points, depending on the role.

 

Between March 16 and April 14, 2025, the number of candidate profiles in higher CRS brackets dropped noticeably:

 

501–600 CRS: Decreased by 5,740 profiles  

491–500 CRS: Decreased by 1,618 profiles  

481–490 CRS: Decreased by 984 profiles  

 

Combined, these brackets saw 8,342 fewer profiles. Many of these are believed to have moved into lower score ranges after losing the extra points.

 

Despite the drop in higher-score profiles, the pool grew overall by 7,373 new profiles during the same period.

 

Score ranges that saw increases

 

461–470 CRS: +2,157 profiles  

451–460 CRS: +1,750  

401–450 CRS: +5,814  

301–350 CRS: +1,496  

0–300 CRS: +2,516  

 

IRCC data suggests that some profiles redistributed from upper score bands likely landed in the 461–470 range, aligning with the number of profiles that lost 50 CRS points.

 

Current pool composition (as of April 14, 2025), as per IRCC:

 

Total profiles: 244,282  

601–1200 CRS: 816  

501–600 CRS: 19,782  

451–500 CRS: 71,542  

491–500: 12,093  

481–490: 12,359  

471–480: 16,215  

461–470: 16,189  

451–460: 14,686  

401–450 CRS: 67,301  

351–400 CRS: 53,479  

301–350 CRS: 22,799  

0–300 CRS: 8,563  

 

Even with an overall rise in the number of candidate profiles compared to December 2024, the CRS score ranges of 501–600, 490–500, and 481–490 now show similar totals to those seen before the removal of arranged employment points, according to IRCC.

 

While the job offer no longer adds CRS points, it will still be relevant for eligibility under:

 

The Federal Skilled Worker Program  

The Federal Skilled Trades Program  

Some Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams

 

Fake LMIAs issue

 

An LMIA is a document issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) allowing Canadian employers to hire foreign workers if no Canadian is available for the job. Until now, this report could give applicants an extra boost in CRS points.

 

But the system had been misused. “Earlier, candidates with a CRS score of around 470, 480, or 500, where the cut-off for invitations could be as high as 540, 550, or 560, were purchasing fake LMIA job offers for large sums of money, between $30,000 and $50,000,” said Ajay Sharma, an immigration expert. “This would raise their points and improve their chances of receiving an invitation to apply.”

 

Sharma said removing the 50 points linked to LMIA-backed job offers is expected to reduce misuse and make the process fairer.