Methodology
Last updated October 11, 2026
This page explains where the information on immigrate.io comes from, how often it is updated and how we check it. Our rules for writing and correcting guides are in the editorial policy.
Data sources
| Feature | Source | Updated |
|---|---|---|
| Express Entry draws | IRCC’s published rounds of invitations, read from the data file behind that page | Pages re-read it at most once an hour; a daily job (13:00 UTC) stores every round and sends draw alerts |
| CRS calculator | IRCC’s Comprehensive Ranking System criteria and language test equivalency charts | Checked against IRCC’s page; the checked date is shown on the calculator |
| PNP stream finder | The official program pages of Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba | Checked against each province’s pages; each province shows its checked date |
| Pathway guides | IRCC pages on canada.ca, listed under Sources in each guide | Checked against the listed pages; each guide shows its checked date |
| Fees and thresholds on country pages | Government fee and threshold pages (IRCC, GOV.UK, Immigration New Zealand, Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower) | Daily or weekly automated checks, depending on the page |
How we check it
- Quotes, not paraphrases. Every requirement in the PNP finder and every statement in a guide is stored with the exact sentence from the official page and that page’s address. An automated check confirms each quote appears on the page as fetched on the checked date.
- Data checks. The draw data is validated on every read: a round with a missing number, date or cutoff, or a round listed twice, stops the update and alerts us instead of being shown.
- Failures are visible. When an automated check fails, the page keeps the last good data and its “last checked” date stops moving, and we are emailed. We never show old data with a new date.
- Links. Every official link on the site is checked once a week (Mondays). Broken links are reported to us and hidden until fixed.
- Polite collection. We only fetch government pages whose robots.txt allows it, identify ourselves with a contact address and keep request rates low.
- Wording. Every build of the site scans all visible text for eligibility verdicts, odds or guarantees, and fails if it finds one.
How the CRS calculator works
The calculator applies IRCC’s published point grid to your answers. It runs in your browser: your answers are not sent to us. Language test results are converted to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels with IRCC’s equivalency charts, then scored. Points for a job offer were removed by IRCC on March 25, 2025 and are not counted. The calculator cannot check documents, so it can only be as accurate as the answers given; the score IRCC calculates in your Express Entry profile is the one that counts.
How the draw comparison works
The draws page compares your score with the cutoff of each past round. Some rounds are limited to a program or category (for example the Canadian Experience Class, provincial nominees or French-language proficiency). Where a round’s category depends on something the calculator doesn’t ask, such as your occupation, we say so instead of counting the round either way. Past cutoffs describe past rounds only; they are not a forecast.
How the PNP stream finder works
Each stream’s requirements (job offer, occupation level, language, education in the province, Express Entry profile) are taken from the province’s own pages. A stream is listed to review unless one of your answers conflicts with a requirement the province states. When a page doesn’t state a requirement, the finder makes no assumption about it. Provinces decide nominations; the finder only sorts published criteria.
Known limitations
- Rules can change between our checks. Always confirm on the official page, linked from every guide and tool, before you act.
- New draws can take up to an hour to appear on the site, and draw alert emails are sent once a day.
- Guides and quoted rules are in English, the language of the official sources; the interface is translated.
- The PNP finder covers five provinces so far.
US decision archive
The site also keeps an archive of published US Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) decisions from its earlier focus on US immigration. How that archive was built is described in its own methodology for the US decision archive.
Questions
Write to contact@immigrate.io.