Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued 2,878 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for Canadian permanent residence to candidates with 475 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points in an Express Entry draw that took place on December 22, 2016. This draw — the largest ever since Express Entry came into operation nearly two years ago — came as a surprise to many candidates, coming just six days after the previous draw. Over recent months, IRCC had stated that more regular draws could be expected, that the number of ITAs would increase, and that there would be a corresponding decrease in the CRS cut-off point. On all three fronts, IRCC has been as good as its word.

Further in-depth analysis of the December 22 Express Entry draw is available on CICNews.com.