IRCC issues a new draw of Express Entry through Canada Experience Stream. The draw had the second-lowest CRS score of 2021 with only 397 points to be scored for eligibility. The lowest has been this year in the 13th February draw of CEC where candidates only had to score 75.
Including this latest 18th express entry draw of 2021, Canada has so far invited 68,317 total candidates from PNP and CEC stream to apply for PR.
CRS score distribution of candidates in the Express Entry pool as of May 17th, 2021
| CRS score range | Number of candidates |
| 601-1200 | 203 |
| 501-600 | 1,661 |
| 451-500 | 31,861 |
| 491-500 | 992 |
| 481-490 | 2,964 |
| 471-480 | 8,296 |
| 461-470 | 9,983 |
| 451-460 | 9,626 |
| 401-450 | 39,085 |
| 441-450 | 8,302 |
| 431-440 | 8,265 |
| 421-430 | 6,200 |
| 411-420 | 7,442 |
| 401-410 | 8,876 |
| 351-400 | 58,382 |
| 301-350 | 30,254 |
| 0-300 | 5,341 |
| Total | 166,787 |
The 18th draw issued ITA’s to 1,842 candidates. This is the 9th CEC draw of 2021. And the first-ever consecutive CEC draws of this year. The CEC stream has now become the key path for permanent residency candidates as it requires the candidates to have only one year’s work experience in Canada.
Furthermore, according to IRCC data from March 8, about 77% of Express Entry candidates in Canada are eligible for the CEC. The draws of CEC especially require lower CRS scores because these candidates are not competing with other candidates for invitations which allows more candidates with a lower score to get ITA.
Details of latest “Express Entry” (Canadian Experience Class) round of invitations
Ministerial Instructions respecting invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system number 188 – May 20, 2021:
- Number of invitations issued: 1,842
- Rank required to be invited to apply: 1,842th or above
- Date and time of round: May 20, 2021, at 10:10:54 UTC
- CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited: 397
- Tie-breaking rule: April 24, 2021, at 12:09:24 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.)
Express Entry Draws for 2021 so far:
| Date | Draw | Number of ITA’s | Lowest CRS Scores |
| 6/1/2021 (PNP) | 1 | 250 | 813 |
| 7/1/2021 (CEC) | 2 | 4,750 | 461 |
| 20/1/2021 (PNP) | 3 | 374 | 741 |
| 21/1/2021 (CEC) | 4 | 4,626 | 454 |
| 10/2/2021 (PNP) | 5 | 654 | 720 |
| 13/2/2021 (CEC) | 6 | 27,332 | 75 |
| 08/3/2021 (PNP) | 7 | 671 | 739 |
| 17/03/2021 (PNP) | 8 | 183 | 682 |
| 18/03/2021 (CEC) | 9 | 5,000 | 449 |
| 31/03/2021 (PNP) | 10 | 284 | 778 |
| 01/04/2021 (CEC) | 11 | 5,000 | 432 |
| 14/04/2021 (PNP) | 12 | 266 | 753 |
| 16/04/2021 (CEC) | 13 | 6,000 | 417 |
| 28/04/2021(PNP) | 14 | 381 | 717 |
| 29/04/2021 (CEC) | 15 | 6,000 | 400 |
| 12/05/2021 (PNP) | 16 | 557 | 752 |
| 13/05/2021 (CEC) | 17 | 4,147 | 401 |
| 20/05/2021 (CEC) | 18 | 1,842 | 397 |
What is CEC program?
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 18 draws of Express Entry in 2021, 9 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