That Saturday, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 27,332 CEC candidates to apply, which is nearly six times more Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued than the previous record of 5,000. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut off was 75, another record-smasher, although the average CRS score of invited candidates was 415, IRCC said.
However, we do know that Canada is prioritizing candidates who are already in Canada, due to the high immigration targets and travel restrictions. Furthermore, the government recognizes that Canada still needs immigrants to help grow the population. Before the pandemic, it was well-documented that Canada would need to look to immigration in order to sustain population growth, and make sure that there were enough workers in the labour market to fill the gaps left by retiring baby boomers.
In order to be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class, you need to submit a profile to the Express Entry system. You will then get a score based on your education, work experience, language ability in English or French, age, and other factors.
IRCC will then invite you to apply for permanent residence, if you meet the basic eligibility criteria for the CEC.
Some of the key eligibility requirements include:
• having 1,560 hours of paid Canadian work experience in a skilled occupation, which equates to about one year of full time work or two years of part time work;
• Having a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 7 for managerial or professional occupations (NOC 0 or A), or CLB 5 for technical jobs and skilled trades (NOC B).
You also need to be admissible to Canada, and be living outside the province of Quebec, which has its own immigration system.
