Maple News reports that on May 20, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted an unanticipated Express Entry draw that caught many off guard. In a rare and significant move, the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) was just 397 — one of the lowest thresholds seen in recent history.
This draw was exclusively targeted toward candidates under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), a program tailored for individuals with recent work experience in Canada. A total of 1,842 CEC-eligible candidates received invitations to apply for permanent residency. To qualify, candidates needed to have submitted their Express Entry profiles before April 24, 2021, at 12:09:24 UTC, in line with the Express Entry tie-breaking rule IRCC uses to manage candidate rankings.
The last time a draw with such a low CRS cutoff occurred was on February 13, 2021, when IRCC invited every single CEC candidate in the pool — some with CRS scores as low as 75 — marking an unprecedented moment in Canada’s immigration history.
So far in 2021, IRCC has issued 68,317 invitations through Express Entry, significantly outpacing previous years. This rapid acceleration is part of IRCC’s broader strategy to meet its ambitious target of welcoming 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021. Due to ongoing travel restrictions, the government has focused on inviting candidates who are already residing in Canada, namely CEC and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applicants.
Draws focused on CEC candidates tend to have lower CRS requirements, since these candidates typically don’t compete against others from outside Canada. By contrast, PNP candidates receive an automatic 600 additional points upon nomination, resulting in much higher CRS cutoffs in those draws.
Express Entry is Canada’s primary system for managing skilled immigration applications. It encompasses three federal programs: the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. The system ranks candidates based on factors such as age, work experience, education, and language proficiency through the Comprehensive Ranking System.
As IRCC continues to prioritize domestic talent during the global pandemic, further CEC-focused draws with relatively low score thresholds may be on the horizon. This development offers a key opportunity for temporary residents in Canada seeking to transition to permanent status.
Stay with Maple News for the latest updates on Canada’s evolving immigration landscape.