A candidate with CRS 482 received a provincial interest letter (which would add 600 points if a nomination certificate is accepted) and asked whether to accept it or hold out for a general Express Entry draw instead, given the 45-day window to respond.
What the thread advised:- A confirmed provincial nomination is a guaranteed path to an ITA, while waiting on a general draw is speculative — members framed this as "a bird in hand is better than two in the air," favoring the certain route.
- General draw cutoffs can move unpredictably — one member pointed out that cutoffs had already dropped between recent draws, so waiting carries real risk of the cutoff not aligning with your score.
- A practical middle path was suggested: start preparing your documents right away. Use the 45-day window productively — if a general draw comes through before your deadline with a favorable cutoff, you can take that instead; if not, submit through the provincial nomination before the window closes.
The practical takeaway: treat a provincial interest letter as your fallback guarantee — start your paperwork immediately, and only skip the provincial route if a general draw with a clearly better outcome arrives before your response deadline.
(Note: the specific CRS cutoff figures mentioned in this thread are historical and tied to the 2023 draws referenced — always check current draw results rather than relying on old cutoff numbers.)