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Express Entry Canada: 5,000 CEC Candidates Invited to Apply for PR

The 9th Express Entry draw of 2021 is out now on 18 March. IRCC invited 5,000 candidates to apply for permanent residency. The draw was held for CEC (Canadian experience class). Candidates had to score 449 to get an invitation. According to IRCC data from March 8, about 77% of Express Entry candidates in Canada are eligible for the CEC.

The most important thing to remember is that the draw is based on CEC (Canada experience class) that requires the candidates to have at least one year’s work experience in Canada.

Including this latest express entry draw, Canada has so far invited 43,840 total candidates from PNP and CEC stream to apply for PR. This simply means Canada is really going on the right path for completing the target of 108,500 candidates through express entry this year. On the other hand, the total number of immigrants to be accepted in 2021 is 401,000.

Details of latest “Express Entry” round of invitations

Ministerial Instructions respecting invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system #176 – February 13, 2021

  • Number of invitations issued: 5,000
  • Rank required to be invited to apply: 5,000th or above
  • Date and time of round: March 18, 2021, at 11:30:56 UTC
  • CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited: 449
  • Tie-breaking rule: February 19, 2021, at 15:59:57 UTC  (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.)

CRS score distribution of candidates in the Express Entry pool as of March 15th, 2021

CRS score rangeNumber of candidates
601-1200155
501-6001,714
451-50029,648
491-500995
481-4902,493
471-4806,208
461-4709,837
451-46010,115
401-45043,293
441-4508,970
431-4409,379
421-4307,148
411-4208,272
401-4109,524
351-40054,345
301-35028,336
0-3004,629
Total162,120
Data courtesy IRCC Canada

Canada Experience Class PR program is one of the three famous programs of Express Entry. Over the past few months, this permanent residency category has received much space as far as immigration quota is concerned. Among the first four draws of Express Entry in 2021, two have been from Canada Experience Class. This program helps those who have Canadian work experience and want to settle permanently in Canada. Certain language abilities, educational requirements, and admissibility in Canada are the main factors that can help you get PR through this program.

Eligibility criteria for CEC

Following are the major requirements for the CEC program:

  • Canadian work experience
  • Language proficiency
  • Your education
  • Your settlement location in Canada
  • Admissibility

Read here complete details of CEC program.

How candidates receive invitations to apply for PR?

The applicant is assessed by the CRS Comprehensive Ranking System. This is a point-based system. An invitation to apply for permanent residence is sent to those who obtain the highest scores.  Which Immigration Program (Goal) is included in this period (some invitations may invite candidates for only 1 program, such as only from Federal Skilled Trades)

Read here about Canada’s new immigration policy

Express entry programs

The following are Canada’s immigration application management system for federal economic-class programs through the Express Entry system.

Candidates in these programs, as well as some PNPs, are given a score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

What is CRS?

“The Comprehensive Rating System (CRS) is used by the Express Entry System to score candidates who apply through the federal government’s Skilled Worker Programs. These programs include the Federal Skilled Workers Program, the Federal Skilled Trade Program, and the Canada Experience Class.” The points you get from CRS include a primary set of up to 600 points and a set of up to 600 extra points. Your whole rating will be out of 1,200.

Human Capitals Points (up to 600 points)

  • Factors of skill and experience
  • Spouse or common-law partner factors, such as their language skills and education
  • Skill transfer, including education and work experience

Extra: up to 600 points

  • A Canadian degree, diploma, or certificate
  • A legitimate job offer
  • Nomination from a province or region
  • A brother or sister living in Canada who is a citizen

Invitation to Apply (ITA)

The standard procedure used to issue ITA is the Comprehensive Ranking System Score. Express entry is a competitive immigration selection system and the CRS score is a points system used to rank candidates against each other. Only the most competitive candidates get ITA.