Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) kicked off the final week of January with a major Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draw that issued 6,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence. The round, held on 21 January but reported by Business Today on 27 January, required a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of just 509—the lowest CEC threshold so far in 2026 and 2 points below the previous draw.
The move confirms Ottawa’s strategy of prioritising candidates already in Canada—international graduates and temporary foreign workers—who can move quickly into permanent roles and ease labour shortages without adding to temporary-resident volumes. Year-to-date, IRCC has now issued 15,255 ITAs, 92 percent of them to CEC candidates. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws continue in parallel but with much smaller invitation numbers (681 ITAs on 20 January, cut-off 746 CRS).
VisaHQ’s online platform can simplify the next steps for both individuals and corporate mobility teams. Through its dedicated Canada page (https://www.visahq.com/canada/), the service guides users through visa, eTA and work-permit applications, provides document checklists and real-time tracking, and offers expert support to ensure submissions meet evolving IRCC standards—all in one place.
![IRCC’s latest Express Entry round invites 6,000 CEC candidates—cut-off falls to 509 CRS]()
For employers the lower cut-off is welcome news: workers holding closed or expiring work permits have a clearer pathway to permanence, reducing compliance risk under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and improving retention. Mobility teams should review employees’ CRS scores immediately—those sitting in the 500–515 band now have realistic prospects of selection in the next draw. Advisers also note that tie-breaking cut-off dates are creeping forward (currently 29 October 2025), so candidates should ensure profiles are up-to-date to benefit from earlier timestamps.
Analysts expect IRCC to maintain large, occupation-agnostic CEC draws through Q1, then pivot toward category-based selection later in the year once new settlement-capacity data are available. However, a persistent application backlog—around 1 million cases across all streams—means processing could still exceed the six-month service standard. Employers are advised to budget for bridging open work permits and to monitor employees’ medical and police-certificate validity to avoid re-requests that can delay finalisation.
Looking ahead, the Express Entry pool has thinned at the top end: over 4,600 candidates scoring between 501–600 exited the pool since 1 January, improving odds for mid-range profiles. Yet with caps on study permits and the pause on new business-immigration intakes, Express Entry remains Canada’s premier economic-class route, and competition will intensify as provinces launch their own targeted streams in February.
The move confirms Ottawa’s strategy of prioritising candidates already in Canada—international graduates and temporary foreign workers—who can move quickly into permanent roles and ease labour shortages without adding to temporary-resident volumes. Year-to-date, IRCC has now issued 15,255 ITAs, 92 percent of them to CEC candidates. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws continue in parallel but with much smaller invitation numbers (681 ITAs on 20 January, cut-off 746 CRS).
VisaHQ’s online platform can simplify the next steps for both individuals and corporate mobility teams. Through its dedicated Canada page (https://www.visahq.com/canada/), the service guides users through visa, eTA and work-permit applications, provides document checklists and real-time tracking, and offers expert support to ensure submissions meet evolving IRCC standards—all in one place.
For employers the lower cut-off is welcome news: workers holding closed or expiring work permits have a clearer pathway to permanence, reducing compliance risk under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and improving retention. Mobility teams should review employees’ CRS scores immediately—those sitting in the 500–515 band now have realistic prospects of selection in the next draw. Advisers also note that tie-breaking cut-off dates are creeping forward (currently 29 October 2025), so candidates should ensure profiles are up-to-date to benefit from earlier timestamps.
Analysts expect IRCC to maintain large, occupation-agnostic CEC draws through Q1, then pivot toward category-based selection later in the year once new settlement-capacity data are available. However, a persistent application backlog—around 1 million cases across all streams—means processing could still exceed the six-month service standard. Employers are advised to budget for bridging open work permits and to monitor employees’ medical and police-certificate validity to avoid re-requests that can delay finalisation.
Looking ahead, the Express Entry pool has thinned at the top end: over 4,600 candidates scoring between 501–600 exited the pool since 1 January, improving odds for mid-range profiles. Yet with caps on study permits and the pause on new business-immigration intakes, Express Entry remains Canada’s premier economic-class route, and competition will intensify as provinces launch their own targeted streams in February.
