Canada Issues 4,500 Invitations in New CEC-Specific Draw

The pandemic forced Canada to slow down its immigration procedures and impose travel restrictions last year. While the effects of the pandemic have trickled into 2021 as well, Canada has decided to increase its immigrant intake aggressively this year. IRCC has been hosting regular federal Express Entry draws to invite thousands of eligible candidates at a time.

Details of the draw

The latest draw took place on July 8 when Canada issued a total of 4,500 invitations to skilled Express Entry candidates looking to apply for permanent residence. This invitation round specifically targeted candidates who fulfilled the eligibility requirements of the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Candidates required a score of 369 minimum in order to qualify for an invitation. IRCC used the tie-break rule in this invitation round. Only those candidates received invitations who fulfilled the minimum score requirements and had submitted their Express Entry profiles prior to June 10, 2021, 22:46:37 UTC.

This July 8 invitation round happened to be the smallest CEC draw since May 20. Canada has been organizing CEC-specific mainly because the candidates are highly likely to already be staying in the country.

The federal government is aiming to welcome 108,500 permanent residents this year via the Express Entry system. The applications are supposed to be processed in six months but coronavirus-related restrictions have lengthened the processing time.  It is important to note that an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence does not guarantee the candidates getting permanent resident status. IRCC will evaluate the applications and determine who to accept and who to reject.