On January 8, 2025, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held its first Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Express Entry draw of the year, issuing invitations to 1,350 candidates for permanent residency (PR).
This marks a positive start for skilled immigrants in Canada in 2025.
The draw had a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cutoff score of 542, which is a 3-point increase from the previous CEC-specific draw on November 19, 2024, where the cutoff score was 539.
Below, we explore the key details and importance of this draw for Express Entry candidates.
Details of the First CEC Express Entry Draw of 2025
Program: Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Number of invitations issued: 1,350
Rank required to be invited to apply: 1,350 or above
Date and time of round: January 8, 2025
CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited: 542
Tie-breaking rule: December 7, 2024, at 01:10:06 UTC
Trends and patterns in Express Entry draws
In December, IRCC issued fewer Invitations to Apply (ITAs), with a total of 2,561, and held fewer draws compared to November and October, which saw over 5,000 ITAs issued across six draws.
Throughout the previous year, IRCC consistently invited candidates through Express Entry from the following programs and categories:
- The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- Enhanced (Express Entry-aligned) Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)
- The French-language proficiency category
The most recent Immigration Levels Plan focuses the majority of landing allocations through Express Entry on candidates already in Canada, emphasizing those with professional or language skills that align with the country’s labour market and demographic needs.
The Levels Plan prioritizes candidates in Canada under the “In-Canada Focus” allocation, which includes CEC and PNP candidates, with the possibility of inviting applicants from two additional Express Entry programs. The “Federal Economic Priorities” allocation focuses on candidates who can meet the country’s labour market and demographic objectives, and they will be selected through category-based invitations within Express Entry.
For 2025, IRCC has revised the groups to be prioritized under category-based selections. These include:
- Healthcare occupations
- Trades occupations
- French-language proficiency
Although the department has not announced the end of draws for the other categories, it has confirmed that the above categories will be given preference. As of now, all six original categories remain in effect.
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