After a quiet April, Express Entry draws have seen an uptick of activity over the month of May.
In May, there were 2,511 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued across four draws, more than double the number of ITAs issued the month prior.
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This article will review
- The draws that took place in May;
- The current composition of the pool; and
- How scores of candidates currently rank against each other.
What draws took place in May 2025?
May has been a busy month for Express Entry draws.
Not only was there a return to four draws over the course of the month, but Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) also held a CEC draw after a three-month hiatus.
Notably, IRCC also held the first-ever Education category based selection draw, and the first Healthcare and social services category based selection draw of 2025.
The number of ITAs issued, and Comprehensive Ranking System cut-off scores for all the May draws can be viewed in the table below:
| Date of draw | Draw type | ITAs issued | CRS cut-off scores |
| May 1, 2025 | Education occupations | 1,000 | 479 |
| May 2, 2025 | Healthcare and Social Services occupations | 500 | 510 |
| May 12, 2025 | Provincial Nominee Program | 511 | 706 |
| May 13, 2025 | Canadian Experience Class | 500 | 547 |
While the number of ITAs issued in total (2,511) is more than double that of ITAs issued in April, it is still significantly lower than the number issued in January, February and March.
| Month | ITAs issued |
| January, 2025 | 5,821 |
| February, 2025 | 11,601 |
| March 2025 | 13,261 |
| April, 2025 | 1,246 |
| May, 2025 | 2,511 |
The May draws also broke the pattern seen in March and April that heavily alternated between the French proficiency draws and the Provincial Nominee draws.
What is the current distribution of scores in the Express Entry pool?
The table below breaks down the number of candidates within each score range as of May 13, 2025.
| CRS score range | Number of candidates |
| 0-300 | 8,452 |
| 301-350 | 22,069 |
| 351-400 | 53,684 |
| 401-410 | 12,686 |
| 411-420 | 13,589 |
| 421-430 | 13,718 |
| 431-440 | 15,241 |
| 441-450 | 14,439 |
| 451-460 | 15,276 |
| 461-470 | 16,691 |
| 471-480 | 16,641 |
| 481-490 | 12,704 |
| 491-500 | 12,429 |
| 501-600 | 22,435 |
| 601-1200 | 28 |
| Total | 250,082 |
Overall, there are 3,409 more candidate profiles in the pool as of May 13, as compared to April 27.
For enhanced clarity and easier comparison, this data is also presented below as a bar graph.
Of note is that the number of candidates in the 601-1200 range has decreased to just 28 as of May 13, 2025.
On the other hand, the number of candidate profiles in the 501-600 range increased by over 1,300 since April 27.
How do scores in the Express Entry pool rank against each other?
The table below provides the current distribution of CRS scores within the Express Entry pool as of May 13, 2025. It includes the percentile ranges for each score boundary, as well as the proportion of candidates in each score range relative to the total pool.
| CRS Score Range | Number of Candidates | Percentile | Percentage |
| 0–300 | 8,452 | 0-3.38% | 3.38% |
| 301–350 | 22,069 | 3.38% – 12.20% | 8.82% |
| 351–400 | 53,684 | 12.20% – 33.67% | 21.47% |
| 401–410 | 12,686 | 33.67% – 38.74% | 5.07% |
| 411–420 | 13,589 | 38.74% – 44.18% | 5.43% |
| 421–430 | 13,718 | 44.18% – 49.66% | 5.49% |
| 431–440 | 15,241 | 49.66% – 55.76% | 6.09% |
| 441–450 | 14,439 | 55.76% – 61.53% | 5.77% |
| 451–460 | 15,276 | 61.53% – 67.64% | 6.11% |
| 461–470 | 16,691 | 67.64% – 74.31% | 6.67% |
| 471–480 | 16,641 | 74.31% – 80.97% | 6.65% |
| 481–490 | 12,704 | 80.97% – 86.05% | 5.08% |
| 491–500 | 12,429 | 86.05% – 91.02% | 4.97% |
| 501–600 | 22,435 | 91.02% – 99.99% | 8.97% |
| 601–1200 | 28 | 99.99% – 100.00% | 0.01% |
Methodology: The percentile scores in the table above were calculated based on the highest CRS score in each range. These percentiles show what percentage of candidates have a score at or below that level.
To make things easier to understand, percentiles are shown as ranges. This means candidates with scores within a certain CRS range fall somewhere between the two percentile values listed.
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