One can observe several patterns in the recent Express Entry draws. IRCC has already held the first Express Entry draw of December, inviting Provincial Nominee Program applicant. Well, here’s the state of the Express Entry pool as of December 2024.

Both November and October saw IRCC issue between 5,507 and 5,961 draws respectively across six Express Entry draws. The draws emphasized PNP and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants, in addition to applicants eligible for category-based selection. 

The Present State Of The Express Entry Pool 

What Draws Occurred In November? 

November’s six Express Entry draws emphasized CEC, PNP, and category-based selection, with two selections for each category. 

Moreover, November also saw the first healthcare category-based draw since July. Also, IRCC issued 3,000 ITAs to healthcare profession applicants, making this the single largest draw of the month by far. Cumulatively, category-based draws also accounted for the bulk of issued ITA. 69% of invitations were issued to applicants in healthcare and French language proficiency draws. 

CEC and PNP draws throughout November issued a relatively small number of ITAs. Each of them delivered roughly 800 invitations total, across the month. As a result of smaller draw sizes, CRS scores remained higher for these draw categories than in previous months. 

The following table presents a breakdown of each draw in November, including draw sizes and CRS cut-off scores: 

The pattern of emphasizing PNP, CEC, and category-based selection draws is in line with IRCC’s newest Immigration Levels Plan, which allocates admissions to the Express Entry system to these applicants through the ‘In-Canada Focus’ category and the ‘Federal Economic Priorities’ category. Moreover, IRCC has allocated the totality of its 2025 admissions targets through Express Entry to these two categories. 

Also, the ‘In-Canada Focus’ category also might include Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program applicants. 

Based on IRCC’s Levels Plan and a released IRCC memo from July 2024, the immigration department intends to hold category-based selection draws primarily focusing on applicants with: 

• Eligible work experience in healthcare professions
• Eligible work experience in trades professions 
• Strong French-language proficiency 

Also, based on the same IRCC memo, PNP rounds are expected to precede CEC or category-based selection rounds, which have continued to be a consistent pattern since July of this year. 

IRCC had issued between 5,000 and 6,000 ITAs via Express Entry for each of the last three months: 

What Is The Current Distribution Of Scores In The Express Entry Pool? 

In addition to knowing about the state of the Express Entry pool as of December 2024, let us discuss the present distribution of scores. 

As of December 1, the current composition of the Express Entry pool is as follows: 

How Do Scores In The Express Entry Pool Rank Against Each Other? 

Apart from knowing the state of the Express Entry pool as of December 2024, let us know about how these scores in the pool rank against each other. 

The following table uses percentile scores to provide a clear picture of how certain CRS scores rank against each other in the overall distribution of scores presently in the Express Entry pool. 

Percentile scores are calculated for the upper boundary of each CRS score range. It shows the proportion of applicants with scores at or below that score relative to the total number of applicants in the pool. 

Because IRCC data is presented in ranges, below is the percentile for the highest CRS score in each range. 

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