Express Entry Draw 281 | 730 Invited in General Draw
The third Canadian Express Entry draw of 2024 was held today! Express Entry draw 281 saw a Lowest CRS score of 541 and invited 730 candidates from all programs to apply.
Express Entry Draw 281
Date of Draw: January 31, 2024 at 15:18:02 UTC
Number of Invitations Issued: 730
Minimum CRS: 541
Program Specified: General
Tie-breaking rule: July 15, 2023 at 10:52:08 UTC
Calculate my Express Entry Score!General Express Entry Draw
Express Entry draw #281 issued 730 Invitations to Apply (ITA) to candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) of 541. There was no program specified for this draw, meaning that invitations to apply may be issued to candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and Provincial Nominee Program.
Today’s draw is the third of the category “General” of 2024. The last draw for the same category was held on January 24, 2024., which invited 1,040 candidates from all programs without any specific category restrictions. The CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited was 543. This means that if your Express Entry profile had a CRS score of 543 or higher, you could have been eligible for an invitation in that draw.
This is the lowest CSR score for the three draws in the general category conducted this year. The lowest score in 2023 for the category was 481, and the draw took place on March 29, 2023, through which 7,000 invitations to apply were sent.
How Does Express Entry work?
The Express Entry System is a Canadian immigration method that uses points to manage applications from skilled workers seeking permanent residency. It oversees three main programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC). The system includes draws for specific categories with yearly targets matching Canada’s immigration plan.
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) assigns scores to candidate profiles, determining their rank in the Express Entry pool. This approach ensures a straightforward and clear selection process in line with Canada’s immigration goals.
Number of Candidates in the Current Express Entry Pool
The IRCC updates the number of people in the Express Entry pool a few days before an invitation round takes place. Numbers change as new profiles are submitted, profiles expire or are issued an ITA.
As of today the composition of the Express Entry pool is:
| 601-1200 | 738 |
|---|---|
| 501-600 | 18,673 |
| 451-500 | 62,985 |
| 491-500 | 12,316 |
| 481-490 | 11,905 |
| 471-480 | 14,371 |
| 461-470 | 12,521 |
| 451-460 | 11,872 |
| 401-450 | 57,590 |
| 441-450 | 11,219 |
| 431-440 | 12,313 |
| 421-430 | 11,217 |
| 411-420 | 11,602 |
| 401-410 | 11,239 |
| 351-400 | 50,609 |
| 301-350 | 22,280 |
| 0-300 | 5,615 |
| Total | 218,490 |
| Updated | December 3, 2024 |
Are You Eligible?
The Express Entry points system assigns a score to your profile, depending on different factors such as age, education degrees, skilled work experience, proficiency in English and/or French, siblings in Canada, and others.
You can get an estimate of the score you will get based on your profile using our CRS Score Calculator.
You must also make sure you meet the requirements of at least one of the following Federal programs in order to submit a profile through the Express Entry system:
- Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
- Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
How to Apply?
The first step to apply is submitting your profile with the required documents. Required documents usually consist of language test results, educational credentials, and passport or travel documentation.
After you submit a profile and receive an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence, you can submit your complete application for the IRCC to review. Your complete application should include supporting documents such as reference letters, additional identity documents, police clearance certificates, and results of a medical examination.
Latest Express Entry Draw for All categories!
Check here the full list of the Express entry draws that were held this year:
| Draw | Date | Category | Number of ITAs | CRS Cut Off | Tie-Breaking Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 329 | December 3, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 800 | 466 | November 26, 2024 at 02:44:59 UTC |
| 328 | December 2, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 676 | 705 | November 27, 2024 at 18:15:17 UTC |
| 327 | November 20, 2024 | Healthcare occupations (Version 1) | 3,000 | 463 | October 21, 2024 at 16:12:39 UTC |
| 326 | November 19, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 400 | 539 | July 08, 2024 at 01:41:37 UTC |
| 325 | November 18, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 174 | 816 | August 28, 2024 at 05:12:34 UTC |
| 324 | November 15, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 800 | 478 | November 07, 2024 at 13:12:03 UTC |
| 323 | November 13, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 400 | 547 | April 10, 2024 at 03:58:05 UTC |
| 322 | November 12, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 733 | 812 | March 02. 2024 at 01:58:34 UTC |
| 321 | October 23, 2024 | Trade occupations (Version 1) | 1,800 | 433 | March 12, 2024 at 14:30:36 UTC |
| 320 | October 22, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 400 | 539 | October 19, 2024 at 21:53:18 UTC |
| 319 | October 21, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 648 | 791 | August 13, 2024 at 20:04:52 UTC |
| 318 | October 10, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 1000 | 444 | September 27, 2024 at 18:56:32 UTC |
| 317 | October 9, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 500 | 539 | February 20, 2024 at 02:57:40 UTC |
| 316 | October 7, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,613 | 743 | March 22, 2024 at 18:36:54 UTC |
| 315 | September 19, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 4000 | 509 | November 06, 2023 at 07:17:35 UTC |
| 314 | September 13, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 1000 | 446 | August 28, 2024 at 17:07:19 UTC |
| 313 | September 9, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 911 | 732 | March 13, 2024 at 19:56:16 UTC |
| 312 | August 27, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 3300 | 507 | June 05, 2024 at 01:08:58 UTC |
| 311 | August 26, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1121 | 694 | August 03, 2024 at 18:54:27 UTC |
| 310 | August 15, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 2,000 | 394 | July 07, 2024 at 09:46:10 UTC |
| 309 | August 14, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 3,200 | 509 | March 01, 2024 at 19:23:21 UTC |
| 308 | August 13, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 763 | 690 | April 26, 2024 at 10:59:30 UTC |
| 307 | July 31, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 5,000 | 510 | June 30, 2024 at 20:39:14 UTC |
| 306 | July 30, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 964 | 686 | May 27, 2024 at 07:07:21 UTC |
| 305 | July 18, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 1,800 | 400 | March 08, 2024 at 19:51:40 UTC |
| 304 | July 17, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 6,300 | 515 | February 03, 2024 at 13:01:06 UTC |
| 303 | July 16, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,391 | 670 | May 04, 2024 at 13:27:31 UTC |
| 302 | July 8, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 3,200 | 420 | May 30, 2024 at 03:37:43 UTC |
| 301 | July 5, 2024 | Healthcare occupations (Version 1) | 3,750 | 445 | May 07, 2024 at 21:27:04 UTC |
| 300 | July 4, 2024 | Trade occupations (Version 1) | 1,800 | 436 | July 16, 2023 at 15:44:59 UTC |
| 299 | July 2, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 920 | 739 | February 02, 2024 at 11:38:43 UTC |
| 298 | June 19, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,499 | 663 | January 19, 2024 at 10:10:40 UTC |
| 297 | May 31, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 3,000 | 522 | March 19, 2024 at 18:58:58 UTC |
| 296 | May 30, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 2,985 | 676 | January 19, 2024 at 18:32:21 UTC |
| 295 | April 24, 2024 | French language proficiency | 1,400 | 410 | April 07, 2024 at 02:06:46 UTC |
| 294 | April 23, 2024 | General | 2,095 | 529 | November 08, 2023 at 17:50:29 UTC |
| 293 | April 11, 2024 | STEM occupations (2024-1) | 4,500 | 491 | February 25, 2024 at 11:55:12 UTC |
| 292 | April 10, 2024 | General | 1,280 | 549 | March 21, 2024 at 03:37:24 UTC |
| 291 | March 26, 2024 | French language proficiency | 1,500 | 388 | March 10, 2024 at 20:06:26 UTC |
| 290 | March 25, 2024 | General | 1,980 | 524 | February 25, 2024 at 14:42:38 UTC |
| 289 | March 13, 2024 | Transport occupations | 975 | 430 | July 31, 2023 at 13:27:26 UTC |
| 288 | March 12, 2024 | General | 2,850 | 525 | March 12, 2024 at 15:56:42 UTC |
| 287 | February 29, 2024 | French language proficiency | 2,500 | 336 | January 18, 2024 at 09:15:46 UTC |
| 286 | February 28, 2024 | General | 1,470 | 534 | January 16, 2024 at 03:51:05 UTC |
| 285 | February 16, 2024 | Agriculture and agri-food occupations | 150 | 437 | January 29, 2024 at 03:32:58 UTC |
| 284 | February 14, 2024 | Healthcare occupations | 3,500 | 422 | January 30, 2024 at 02:39:54 UTC |
| 283 | February 13, 2024 | General | 1,490 | 535 | February 11, 2024 at 15:26:56 UTC |
| 282 | February 1, 2024 | French language proficiency | 7,000 | 365 | September 08, 2023 at 09:47:27 UTC |
| 281 | January 31, 2024 | General | 730 | 541 | July 15, 2023 at 10:52:08 UTC |
| 280 | January 23, 2024 | General | 1,040 | 543 | January 21, 2024 at 07:43:47 UTC |
| 279 | January 10, 2024 | General | 1,510 | 546 | December 31, 2023 at 18:23:22 UTC |
Interested in discover your options to apply through Express Entry? Complete our free online assessment today!
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