” CEC candidates with scores as low as 404 were invited by Canada “

On August 5, 3,000 Express Entry candidates were invited by Canada to apply for permanent residency. All these 3000 candidates needed to be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), with scores of at least 404.

In the draw held on July 22 candidates needed a score of 357. This score requirement was the second-lowest requirement ever in this draw. The lowest is still February 13, where every single eligible candidate was invited and the lowest score was 75.

Candidates with the minimum scores were only eligible if they have submitted their applications before August 3rd, 2021 as per the tie-break rule. These details are published by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)as an administrative requirement, and there was no actual tie.

Why A CEC only Draw

IRCC has been holding only CEC and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and specific Express Entry draws since the start of 2021. Candidates of these programs either have some ties in Canada or are residing in Canada.

Candidates of CEC are already in Canada since Canadian work Experience is among the immigration program’s key eligibility criteria. Approximately 90% of CEC candidates in the Express Entry pool are in Canada at any given time.

Although Canada is prioritizing domestic people as they are less likely to run into coronavirus-related hurdles. Until June 21, Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) holders could not come to Canada and complete their landing.

The Federal immigration targets are set at a record goal of 401,000 new immigrants to Canada in 2021. 143,000 new permanent Residents across all programs were admitted by IRCC in the first half of the year. To make sure Canada is meeting its goal of 401,000 newcomers in 2021, Canada will need to land about 43,000 newcomers per month.

Express Entry Invitations Ahead Year Over Year

This year number of Invitations to Apply (ITA) has doubled compared to the numbers this year. IRCC is also doubling its efforts to admit 108,500 newcomers through the Express Entry system in 2021. In 2021, until now Canada has invited 102,316 Express Entry candidates.

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The minimum score requirements have been up and down due to CEC and PNP only draws. CEC draws usually have lower cut-offs because the draws are concentrated in the one silo of applicants. These applicants are not competing with the others in the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). For example, the minimum score cut-off drops as more CEC candidates are selected from the top. For PNP candidates get automatic 600 points by receiving a Provincial nomination.