Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has conducted its first Canadian Experience Class (CEC)-specific Express Entry draw in nearly three years, issuing 3,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) on May 31. Eligible candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 522 to be considered.
This marks a significant policy shift, as it’s the first CEC-only draw since September 2021 and comes during a week of back-to-back program-specific rounds. Earlier in the week, on May 30, IRCC held a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw. This series of program-specific draws highlights a new focus from the government on transitioning temporary residents already living and working in Canada.
The return of CEC draws follows IRCC’s stated commitment to hold more “domestic draws”—a strategy aimed at reducing Canada’s growing temporary resident population while reinforcing permanent immigration pathways for skilled workers already contributing to the Canadian economy.
CEC candidates typically have at least one year of full-time skilled work experience in Canada and meet language requirements. Many are former international students or temporary foreign workers actively employed in Canadian labour markets.
This week’s draws are also the first of their kind since Canada introduced category-based selection in May 2023, which allowed for targeted invitations based on specific fields such as health care, STEM, and French language proficiency. Unlike those draws, a program-specific draw targets only a single immigration program rather than multiple categories.
The latest CEC draw also held the lowest CRS cut-off of the year among non-category-based selections, suggesting that the IRCC may be recalibrating its thresholds to accommodate more domestic residents seeking permanent status.
These actions follow a month-long pause in Express Entry draws, with the last round held on April 24. While IRCC has not explained the cause of the break, an internal Access to Information request revealed that all draws in 2024 are following a preset schedule. However, this schedule has not been made public, and IRCC has indicated that factors like annual immigration targets and processing capacity will continue to shape both draw size and frequency.
Prior to the pause, April was an active month for Express Entry selections, with four separate rounds held. These included general draws and category-based invites aimed at STEM occupations and French-speaking candidates.
As Canada continues to refine its Express Entry strategy, experts believe domestic pathways like CEC draws will remain essential for supporting the country’s economic and demographic objectives amid evolving immigration priorities.