IRCC issues 3,000 invitations to CEC candidates in latest Express Entry draw

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued more invitations to apply (ITA) through the Express Entry system.

The immigration department issued 3,000 ITAs in a targeted draw for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates.

To be considered in this draw, candidates needed to have:

• A minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 529; and
• Created an Express Entry candidate profile before 6:06 p.m., Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) on 28 September, 2024.

See how competitive your Express Entry profile is

Summary of Express Entry draws in 2025

Today’s Express Entry draw is the fourth of the month, and is a return to the larger CEC draws that IRCC used to hold throughout 2024 regularly and earlier this year. This is also the first CEC draw under Canada’s new Immigration Minister.

Today’s draw follows a small Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw on 10 June, the second draw for the healthcare and social services occupations category on 4 June, and another PNP draw on 2 June.

Thus far, IRCC has issued 38,342 ITAs through the Express Entry system in 2025.

This year, the Express Entry system has primarily held draws focused on PNP candidates, with the remainder of Express Entry ITAs dedicated to CEC candidates, candidates with French-language proficiency, and those in Express Entry’s priority categories:

What are the benefits of the CEC?

The CEC is part of a coordinated effort by Canada’s federal and provincial governments to encourage more temporary foreign workers and international students to settle permanently in Canada. This dynamic represents a win-win relationship between foreign nationals interested in immigrating to Canada and the country itself (specifically its labour market, and demography).

Research conducted by IRCC, Statistics Canada, and other reputable sources consistently shows that skilled worker candidates are more successful at integrating into the Canadian job market if they have prior experience living in the country.

The combination of strong human capital characteristics, such as being young or middle-aged, highly educated, and possessing relevant Canadian work experience— alongside the social and professional networks built in Canada, enables CEC immigrants to achieve strong outcomes in the labour market, often even outperforming the Canadian-born population.

An advantage to candidates with Canadian experience is that they are awarded more points under the CRS used in Express Entry, which improves their likelihood of being invited to apply for permanent residence.

A further benefit is that these CEC applicants selected through Express Entry typically receive permanent residence within six months.

In addition, CEC candidates (unlike candidates in the other two Express Entry programs) are not required to show proof of settlement funds to IRCC when applying for PR.

See how competitive your Express Entry profile is