Last Updated On 2 April 2024, 10:43 AM EDT (Toronto Time)

March 2024 witnessed four Express Entry draws, with two general and two targeted rounds of invitations, but it is important to review the key trends after the first quarter of 2024.

The total number of invitations was less than the invites sent in February but comparatively higher for general rounds of invitations in the month of March 2024.

Let’s look at the specifics of each draw and compare them to the previous months’ invitations.

March 2024 Express Entry Draws Summary

Description	March 26, 2024	March 25, 2024	March 13, 2024	March 12, 2024
Draw type	Targeting profiles with high proficiency in French	General or all program draws	Targeted draw for 10 transport occupations	General or all program draws
Invitations	1,500	1,980	975	2,850
CRS Cutoff	388	524	430	525
Tie-breaking rule	March 10, 2024 at 20:06:26 UTC	February 25, 2024 at 14:42:38 UTC	July 31, 2023 at 13:27:26 UTC	March 12, 2024 at 15:56:42 UTC

Express Entry Draw: March 2024

In the month of March, IRCC issued 4,830 invitations to apply for permanent residency in a general draw with a CRS cutoff score of 524-525.

The number of invites in general draws was higher as compared to the months of February (2,960) and January (3,280).

Furthermore, the cutoff score has been dropping continuously when compared to February and January, levelling around 524.

From a targeted Express Entry draw standpoint, the number of invitations continues to drop in French-focused rounds of invitations, but the cutoff score is still below 400, even with only 1,500 invites in March.

There was one transport-targeted round of invitations in March, declaring a CRS cutoff score of 430, five points lower than the previous similar draw in December, although the number of invitations was higher.

Draw Type	2024 Invitations	2024 CRS Cutoff Range	2023 Invitations	2023 CRS Cutoff Range
No program’ or ‘general’ Invitations since introduction of targeted Draws	11,070	524-546	76,700	481-561
Francophone invitations	11,000	336-388	8,700	375-486
Healthcare invitations	3,500	422	5,600	431-476
Transport invitations	975	430	1,670	435
Agriculture and agri-food invitations	150	437	1,000	354-386
STEM invitations	0	0	6,400	481-486
Trade invitations	0	0	2,500	388-425
PNP only	0	0	1,548	776

Express Entry 2024 and 2023 Invitations

So far in 2024, we have seen healthcare, agriculture, and transport targeted draws, but we are yet to see STEM and trade occupations focused draws.

Upcoming Express Entry Draws Expectations

CRS Score Trends: The CRS score requirements in March 2024 show a slight reduction for general, healthcare, and transport rounds.
- If IRCC continues to issue a similar number of invitations, then we are expecting to see further reductions in the CRS cutoff in general draws.
- However, the score would still be “high” (510+) in the near term until or unless IRCC conducts a large general draw.
- For targeted draws, the CRS cutoff is expected to be around the same level as it is so far.
Invitations Issued: The overall total number of invitations issued in March was comparatively higher than compared to January, but February alone sent out nearly 1.6x the total number of invitations issued in March and January combined.
- Inconsistency in the number of invitations makes it hard to predict the number of invitations in the upcoming months, but IRCC is expected to send at least around 7,000 monthly invites.
- We expect there will continue to be months of sending more invitations, while others are sending quite a few.
- We are expecting less frequent transport and agriculture draws in the coming weeks and more frequent Francophile draws.
Immigration Policy Uncertainty: Recently, immigration minister indicated that they are working on focusing on “domestic” draws, but there is nothing definite about it.
- If the minister keeps up with his words, then we may see Canadian Experience Class draws in the coming months, which are expected to have a lower cutoff score than general draws.

Long-term Outlook

Despite minor fluctuations, Express Entry remains a viable pathway for skilled individuals seeking to build their futures in Canada, contributing to its economic growth and diversity.

It has definitely become more competitive than ever with high CRS score cutoffs and targeted draws.

We are expecting that CRS cutoff score will drop to around 500 (but stay above 500) in general draws by end of this year, if IRCC keep up with consistency in number of invitations.

If IRCC re-introduces CEC-only draws, then the CRS cutoff score is expected to come around 480–490 in the long term, but this will further divide the spots with the general draw and may result in a higher cutoff in all-program rounds.

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Kamal Deep Singh, RCIC

Kamal Deep Singh, RCIC (Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant) licensed by CICC (formerly known as ICCRC) with member number R708618. He brings extensive knowledge of immigration law and new changes to rapidly evolving IRCC.