When conducting draws through Express Entry, the federal government does not make a decision about the cut-off score under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) at which to invite candidates to apply for permanent residence.

Instead, the government determines the number of candidates to invite in a given draw and then invites only the top-ranking candidates from the pool, with the cut-off score being the score of the lowest-ranking invited candidate.

The cut-off score is determined by the composition of the Express Entry pool at the time the draw takes place.

For example, imagine an amateur basketball team captain selecting the five tallest players for his team. The captain picks the five tallest players available at the time, not specifically players who are at least a certain height. Similarly, in Express Entry draws, the government invites the top-scoring candidates, and the cut-off score is a reflection of the highest-scoring profiles selected.

Profiles are chosen based on their high scores, not just because they are above the cut-off score. The cut-off score indicates where the highest-scoring profile falls.

In cases where multiple profiles have the same score at the cut-off, a tie-breaking rule based on the submission date is used to determine invitations.

An increase in cut-off scores in CRS draws can result from various factors such as draw sizes, influx of high-scoring profiles, or score increases among existing profiles.

The government’s decisions involve the number of invitations, candidate types, and the cut-off score is a result of these decisions.