Canada has invited every single CEC candidate in the historic express entry draw

Canada's immigration department has confirmed that all the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates in the express entry pool were invited to apply for Canada PR Visa on February 13.

That Saturday, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 27,332 CEC applicants to apply, nearly six times as many Invitations to Apply (ITA) as the previous record of 5,000 applicants. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) threshold was 75, another record high, although the average CRS score for invited applicants was 415, IRCC said.

The tie-break rule was flagged as an administrative requirement, but IRCC has not used it, according to a spokesperson. This means that no CEC eligible candidate in the pool with a score of 75 or less submitted their profile before September 12, 2020.

It is too early to say whether the massive draw has caused an increase in the number of new Express Entry profiles, especially for people who are in Canada and may be eligible for the CEC.

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However, we do know that Canada prioritizes applicants who are already in Canada, due to high immigration targets and travel restrictions. Also, the government recognizes that Canada still needs immigrants to help grow its population. Before the pandemic, it was well documented that Canada should look to immigration to support population growth and ensure that there were enough workers in the labor market to fill the gaps left by baby boomers. retired.

What are the minimum requirements for CEC?

The first step is to create an online profile in the Express Entry program. Once your profile is submitted to the pool, it will rank according to your CRS score. You will get an ITA in the next round of invitations if you meet the minimum criteria for CEC.

Some of the major requirements are as follows:

• Minimum of one year of full time or two years of part-time work experience in a skilled occupation;
• Minimum CLB level 7 for management or professional positions (NOC 0 or A), or of CLB 5 for technical jobs and skilled trades (NOC B).

You must also be admissible to Canada and live outside the province of Quebec, which has its immigration system.

About 90 percent of eligible CEC applicants already live and work in the country, although this is not an eligibility requirement. But because of the travel restrictions, it is very difficult for foreign immigrants to move to Canada.