The loss of points for planned employment resulted in a significant decline in CRS scores.

The composition of the Express Entry candidate pool has changed significantly as a result of the loss of organized employment points under the Comprehensive Ranking System.  Thousands of Express Entry candidates have had their CRS scores drop by 50 or 200 points, which has a significant impact on their chances of gaining an invitation to apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residency.

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Changes in the Express Entry candidate pool.

The most significant reduction in scores among Express Entry candidates happened in the 501-600 CRS score range, with a severe decrease of 5,740 profiles.

 Similar declines in profiles can be noted within score ranges of:

1. 491 and 500 CRS points resulted in a drop of 1,618 profiles;

2. 481 and 490 CRS points, resulting in a drop of 984 profiles.

Between March 16 and April 14, 2025, 8,342 profiles left these three score ranges (which represent scores above the 90th percentile in the Express Entry candidate pool).

With the loss of scheduled employment points, these profiles (if they have not expired) will have been reassigned to lower score ranges within the candidate pool.

Note: The figures in this article do not distinguish between the natural expiration and addition of Express Entry profiles and those affected by the CRS change on March 25, 2025.

Despite these drastic decreases, the Express Entry candidate pool increased by a total of 7,373 candidate profiles during the same time period, indicating that bigger changes in pool composition were most likely caused by the loss of organized employment CRS points.

Several score levels experienced significant increases in candidate profiles. The largest of these was the addition of 2,157 profiles with scores ranging from 461 to 470 CRS points.

Because most candidates with qualifying arranged employment likely earned an additional 50 CRS points, it is plausible that many of the new 2,157 profiles within the 461-470 score range were redistributed from score ranges above 500 CRS points as a result of the point elimination.

The following table shows the change in Express Entry profiles between March 16 (nine days before the withdrawal of CRS points for organized work) and April 14, 2025 for all score ranges:

CRS score range	Change in Express Entry profiles
601-1200	+123
501-600	-5,740
451-500	+1,487
491-500	-1,618
481-490	-984
471-480	+182
461-470	+2,157
451-460	+1,750
401-450	+5,814
441-450	+1,817
431-440	+1,722
421-430	+1,465
411-420	+1,101
401-410	-291
351-400	+1,677
301-350	+1,496
0-300	+2,516
Total	+7,373

What is the current composition of Express Entry scores after the CRS point change?

The table below shows the current composition of the Express Entry applicant pool as of April 14, 2025.

CRS score range	Number of candidates
601-1200	816
501-600	19,782
451-500	71,542
491-500	12,093
481-490	12,359
471-480	16,215
461-470	16,189
451-460	14,686
401-450	67,301
441-450	14,131
431-440	14,740
421-430	13,084
411-420	13,020
401-410	12,326
351-400	53,479
301-350	22,799
0-300	8,563
Total	244,282

While the Express Entry pool saw a significant increase in profiles throughout 2024 and 2025, ballooning to the highest number of total candidates seen in more than a year, the removal of CRS points for arranged employment means that the following CRS score ranges now have roughly the same number of candidate profiles as they did in December of 2024:

1. 501-600;

2. 490-500; and

3. 481-490.

This is despite a 25,792 rise in candidate profiles between December 2024 and April 2025.

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