Elusive CEC Draws In The Pipeline Again

Changes within Express Entry

Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws were the number one focus during Covid-19. The last draw for the CEC-specific draw was in September 2021. Since then, IRCC has revamped its Express Entry program and introduced Category-based draws that focus on French language skills or certain occupations.

Since the introduction of category-based draws, IRCC has not had a CEC, FSW or FWT-specific draw. Instead, non-category specific draws are lumped into general draws, which have seen CRS scores of well over 500 since the start of 2024.

CEC draws to return

Immigration Minister Marc Miller declared his intention to pursue more “domestic draws” for temporary residents already in Canada who are candidates for Express Entry’s CEC program on March 21st. Territories and provinces were asked to help the IRCC transition the current temporary foreign workers (TFW) within Canada to permanent residents. This means that provinces will likely give preference to candidates already in Canada when it comes to sending out notifications of interest.

This move by IRCC should ensure that the current temporary foreign TFW workers will remain in Canada and will conform to their new policy to reduce the number of new TFWs coming into Canada.

Does it mean CRS scores could drop?

The high scores needed have had many candidates within the CEC program scampering for alternative routes to gain permanent residency. IRCC would hopefully conduct a few large draws to ensure that those already in Canada with lower CRS scores will also receive an invitation to apply for Permanent Residency.

With CRS scores of well over 500 currently, most of these candidates in the Express Entry pool are likely already in Canada with a minimum of one year of work experience. IRCC would need to conduct larger draws focusing on CEC or more frequent draws to reduce the CRS score to benefit those with lower CRS scores. The number of candidates in the Express Entry with scores ranging from 430 to 520 has grown exponentially.

IRCC shifting its focus again

As with all changes, the change will benefit some but have an adverse effect on others. Candidates from outside Canada would bear the brunt if IRCC potentially stopped general draws for the time being while focusing on CEC. We’ve seen that the number of candidates invited for general draws has remained low. Increased CEC draws could mean decreased invitations to apply for category-based draws such as STEM occupations, which already do not receive as much attention as French-language category-based draws or healthcare category-based draws.