Canada invites 3,000 CEC Express Entry candidates in new draw

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 3,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence on August 5.

IRCC invited candidates who are eligible for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). All invited candidates needed to meet the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 404 to receive an ITA.

The IRCC published a cut-off time for the tie-break rule as an administrative requirement, regardless of whether there was an actual tie. Candidates with the minimum CRS score requirement only received an ITA if they submitted their Express Entry profile before August 3, 2021, at 05:39:26 UTC.

So far in 2021, Canada has invited 102,316 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence. At the same time last year, Canada had only issued 61,600 ITAs to Express Entry candidates. The number of invitations sent this year has almost doubled compared to 2020.

The CEC program of the federal Express Entry system is for temporary foreign workers and international graduates who want to get Canada permanent residence.

The CEC began in 2008 and has grown to one of the largest immigration pathways for skilled workers in Canada.

To be eligible for the CEC, candidates must have at least one year of skilled work experience in Canada within thirty-six (36) months from the application date. Those with work in a job under National Occupational Classification (NOC) B need a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 5. Those with experience in NOC skill level 0 or A jobs need a minimum CLB of 7.

In addition, candidates must plan to live and work in Canada outside of Quebec.

The CEC is based on a pass or fail model, this means that if an applicant meets the minimum requirements, the applicant should be eligible to enter the Express Entry pool.