Canada holds first CEC draw of the year

The first Canadian Experience Class draw of the year has been released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. As of Express Entry Pool 8 January, 1,350 candidates have been issued invitations to apply (ITAs). Successful candidates had to score a minimum of 542 as per the Comprehensive Ranking System.

The expected round of invitations was held on 8 January from the CEC program. As previously announced, more candidates this year have a chance to be chosen from within Canada to reduce the number of temporary residents in the country.

As a result of many new changes announced by the IRCC and Immigration Level Plan 2025-2027, it is obvious that candidates from within Canada will be invited and chosen more to apply for permanent residence under In-Canada focus allocation. This may help the federal country reduce the number of temporary residents from 6 to 5 percent, with an overall immigration cut of 20 percent in 2025.

Summary of the CEC Draw

Date and Time of Draw	January 8, 2025
CRS Score of Lowest-Ranked Candidate Invited	542
Number of Invitations Issued	1,350
Rank Needed	1,350 or above
Tie-Breaking Rule	December 07, 2024 at 01:10:06 UTC
Additional Rule	If more than one candidate has the lowest score, the cut-off is based on the date and time they submitted their Express Entry profiles.

Express Entry Round of Invitations in 2025

Date of issue	Draw Category	Number of ITAs issued	Minimum CRS
08 January	Canadian Experience Class	1,350	542
07 January	Provincial Nominee Program	471	793

Express Entry Pool as of 8 January: CRS Score Distribution

CRS score range	Number of candidates
601-1200	171
501-600	23,240
451-500	65,699
491-500	12,811
481-490	12,492
471-480	14,965
461-470	13,034
451-460	12,397
401-450	60,704
441-450	11,938
431-440	13,030
421-430	11,901
411-420	12,224
401-410	11,611
351-400	50,607
301-350	21,788
0-300	5,554
Total	227,763