February 2025: The Latest on Express Entry Draws

As we enter February 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is already making strides in the Express Entry system. After a January that brought some stability to the draw schedule, February has already seen two rounds of invitations issued.

What Happened in January 2025?

IRCC conducted three Express Entry draws in January, resulting in 5,821 Invitations to Apply (ITAs). These invitations were primarily directed toward candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and those nominated under Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Notably, January marked a shift, as it was the first month since June 2024 that IRCC did not conduct a draw specifically targeting French-speaking candidates. However, it is expected that such draws will return later this year, as Canada continues to prioritize increasing the number of Francophone immigrants outside Quebec.

Here’s a breakdown of ITAs issued over the past few months:

• October 2024: 5,961
• November 2024: 5,507
• December 2024: 2,561
• January 2025: 5,821
  
  

In January, three draws took place:

• Draw #331 (January 7): 471 ITAs issued, CRS cut-off score 793 (PNP-specific)
• Draw #332 (January 8): 1,350 ITAs issued, CRS cut-off score 542 (CEC-specific)
• Draw #333 (January 23): 4,000 ITAs issued, CRS cut-off score 527 (CEC-specific)
  
  

This emphasis on CEC and PNP candidates reflects IRCC’s 2025-27 Immigration Levels Plan, which aims to meet specific permanent residence targets while addressing Canada’s negative population growth.

Current CRS Score Distribution in the Pool

As of early February 2025, there are over 234,000 candidates in the Express Entry pool. The distribution of scores provides insight into the pool’s composition:

• 501-600 CRS range: 23,165 candidates
• 491-500 CRS range: 13,487 candidates
• 481-490 CRS range: 13,003 candidates
• 471-480 CRS range: 15,652 candidates
• 461-470 CRS range: 13,815 candidates
• Scores below 450 make up the majority of the pool.
  
  

Despite adding over 6,200 new profiles since January, there has been a slight decline in the number of candidates with scores in the 501-600 range.

What’s Next?

The current composition of the pool suggests that candidates with higher CRS scores continue to have the strongest chances of receiving ITAs. Understanding the score distribution can help prospective immigrants gauge their position in the pool and anticipate what the cut-off scores might be in upcoming draws.

As IRCC moves forward, maintaining transparency around the pool’s composition and continuing frequent draws will be key to meeting Canada’s ambitious immigration goals for 2025 and beyond.