Express Entry #181: 5,000 ITAs are issued to the CEC Candidates

Express Entry #181: 5,000 ITAs are issued to the CEC Candidates

Canada held its 181th Express Entry draw on April 1. A total of 5000 ITA are issued.

This was the second invitation round held in two days. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score in this round was 432.

A total of 5000 candidates are invited by Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in the March 18 draw and they needed a minimum score of 432.

Invited candidates needed to be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and have a score of at least 432 in order to receive an Invitation to Apply. Basic eligibility requirements for the CEC include one year of full-time skilled work experience in Canada, and intermediate official language skills among other criteria.

This new CEC-only draw shows that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is continuing to prioritize in-Canada immigration applicants, while travel restrictions are still in place. About 77 per cent of Express Entry candidates in Canada are eligible for the CEC, according to IRCC data from March 8.

Canada’s main three categories are managed under the Express Entry System are: –

• Federal Skilled Worker Class
• Federal Skilled Trades Class
• Canadian Experience Class

In the Express Entry system, eligible candidates for the FSWC, FSTC, CEC programs, and some Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates are scored based on the Comprehensive Ranking System, or CRS.

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) applied a tie break rule in today’s draw; candidates had to have submitted their profiles before February 16, 2021 at 09:51:22 UTC,This means that all candidates with CRS scores above 432, as well as those with scores of 432 who entered their profile in the Express Entry pool before this date and time, received an ITA.

“Today marked the third-lowest CRS cut-off for a CEC draw during the pandemic,” said David Cohen, Senior Attorney of Campbell Cohen. “Only the historic February 13, 2021 draw and the June 25, 2020 CEC draw have had lower CRS requirements over the past year.”

Candidates are ranked in the pool based on the CRS that considers 4 main factors: –

1. Age
2. Education
3. Skilled work experience
4. Proficiency in English or French

While a job offer is not required in order to be eligible under the Express Entry system, the CRS does award additional points to candidates who have one.