Competition within the Express Entry pool continues to ease for the second month in a row, as thousands more top-scoring profiles leave the pool.

Since the start of the year, 4,672 profiles between the 501-600 score range have left the Express Entry pool, largely attributable to the massive Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draw that took place on January 7.

With the reduction in top-scoring profiles, lower-scoring profiles now stand a better chance of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA), as Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores are more likely to drop with the changing distribution of the candidate pool.

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What is the current composition of the Express Entry pool?

The current distribution of Express Entry profiles in the candidate pool is presented below, and compared with the distribution of profiles from January 4 (the most recent data available before January 19) as a reference:

CRS score range Distribution (Jan 4) Distribution (Jan 19) Difference in number of profiles 

0-300 8,125 8,269 +144 

301-350 18,745 19,062 +317 

351-400 52,469 53,221 +752 

401-410 11,438 11,858 +420 

411-420 12,442 12,863 +421 

421-430 12,816 13,092 +276 

431-440 14,285 14,571 +286 

441-450 14,139 14,452 +313 

451-460 14,835 15,209 +374 

461-470 14,881 15,320 +439 

471-480 15,435 15,965 +530 

481-490 12,499 12,942 +443 

491-500 12,873 13,278 +405 

501-600 21,013 16,341 -4,672 

601-1200 559 677 +118 

Total 236,554 237,120 +566 

The reduction observed this month at the second-highest score range was even more substantial than the reduction seen in December, when 4,622 profiles scoring between 501-600 left the Express Entry pool.

Interestingly, the 501-600 score range was the only one in the Express Entry pool that saw a reduction in candidates—all other score ranges saw a moderate increase in profiles, leading to the overall size of the pool increasing by 566 profiles.

Noting that the highest-ranking candidates are prioritized first for Express Entry draws (even in the case of category-based selections), this means that the candidate pool has grown less competitive, even as the overall size of the pool increased moderately.

Graph of Express Entry profiles distribution by score range.

How does your Express Entry profile compare within the updated candidate pool?

The table below shows both the share of candidates in each score band and the percentile ranking for each score band (shown as a range) relative to the entire pool, as of January 19.

These percentile ranges represent the portion of the pool with scores at or below a given score range. For instance, if a score band falls within the 95–99th percentile, that means candidates in that range are among the top 1–5% of all candidates in the pool. Percentile ranges are calculated using the lower and upper limits of each CRS score range.

This information can help candidates better understand where they stand in the pool.

CRS score range Number of candidates Percentile (range) Percentage 

0-300 8,269 0.00%–3.49% 3.49% 

301-350 19,062 3.49%–11.53% 8.04% 

351-400 53,221 11.53%–33.97% 22.44% 

401-410 11,858 33.97%–38.97% 5.00% 

411-420 12,863 38.97%–44.40% 5.42% 

421-430 13,092 44.40%–49.92% 5.52% 

431-440 14,571 49.92%–56.06% 6.14% 

441-450 14,452 56.06%–62.16% 6.09% 

451-460 15,209 62.16%–68.57% 6.41% 

461-470 15,320 68.57%–75.03% 6.46% 

471-480 15,965 75.03%–81.77% 6.73% 

481-490 12,942 81.77%–87.22% 5.46% 

491-500 13,278 87.22%–92.82% 5.60% 

501-600 16,341 92.82%–99.71% 6.89% 

601-1200 677 99.71%–100.00% 0.29% 

Total 237,120  

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