Canadian Immigration News

How Does the Express Entry Tie Breaker Rule Work?

1.75 minute read
"Canada has started implementing a new tie-breaker rule in every Express Entry Draw since the travel restrictions were implemented in mid-March to prevent the spread of Covid-19.This tie-breaker rule applies to applicants in the Express Entry pool with the same Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.According to the tie-breaker rule, applicants with the same CRS score will be ranked based on how long their application has been in the system.Applicants who have applied first receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency."
Written by My Visa Source Team
Published on:  Apr 12, 2021
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Canada has started implementing a new tie-breaker rule in every Express Entry Draw since the travel restrictions were implemented in mid-March to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

This tie-breaker rule applies to applicants in the Express Entry pool with the same Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.

According to the tie-breaker rule, applicants with the same CRS score will be ranked based on how long their application has been in the system.

Applicants who have applied first will receive the Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency.

How is the Tie Breaker Rule Used in the Express Entry Draws?

Based on how long your application has been in the Express Entry pool, the system will prioritize your application. For example, for the Express Entry Draw conducted on June 25, 2020, 3508 ITAs were issued to applicants with a minimum score of 431.

Applicants with a CRS score of 431 were prioritized based on the time and date their application was submitted. This applies to applicants who submitted their application before April 3, 2020, at 12:56 UTC.

Take a look at our regularly updated Latest Express Entry Draw Updates and our Canada PNP Draw Updates.

However, if you deleted your profile to resubmit your application after April 3, 2020, your application was not prioritized.

If you only make additional changes to your profile, the timestamp remains the same.

For example, if the minimum CRS points required is 450 and a significant number of applicants have scored 450 points, this disrupts the number of immigrants expected by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). In such cases, the IRCC uses the tie-breaker rule to select applicants who scored the minimum cut-off. 

What Are Other Changes Made to the Express Entry System?

As of October 2020, applicants will receive additional points for speaking French fluently.

If you score a level 7 or higher on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) for English or French, then you will receive

  • 25 additional points for a CLB 4 or lower in English
  • 50 additional points for a CLB 5 or higher on in English

See the latest Express Entry Draw Updates.

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