2 Huge Canadian Experience Class Draws in 2 Weeks to Close Out 2025

Key Takeaways From the CEC Draw on December 16, 2025 

• Type of draw: Canadian Experience Class 

• Invitations issued: 5,000 

• CRS score: 515 (the lowest of 2025!!)

• Tie-breaking rule: September 9, 2025 at 18:58:59 UTC

• Prediction for the next draw: A category-based selection round later this week. 

Our Analysis of This Express Entry Draw 

Today’s huge draw marks a stark deviation in almost every Canadian Experience Class draw trend we saw throughout all of 2025. It’s most certainly welcome news for candidates with recent Canadian work experience hoping to become permanent residents of Canada.

Here’s what’s different about today’s draws, compared to 2025:

• Today’s draw saw the lowest CRS cut-off of any round in 2025. We haven’t seen a cut-off this low for a CEC round since September 19, 2024 when the cut-off was 509. (Fun fact, that draw was also a surprise draw on what was supposed to be an ‘off week’ for Express Entry rounds).
• Over 11,000 Canadian Experience Class candidates have received an invitation to apply in December 2025. The most we saw in any other month in 2025 was 5,250 invitations in January 2025. Other months saw between 0 (in March and April) to 4,000 (in February). Many months hovered between 1,000-2,000 invitations per month.
• Today’s draw also deviates from the bi-weekly ‘pattern’ of Express Entry draws. We’d guess this is to avoid draws next week, given the holidays for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

As for why we’re seeing large draws now, we aren’t certain. It’s possible that it’s because IRCC may take a month-long break from draws now until mid-January, which is when draws usually resume in any given new year. This could help to smooth the number of applications being processed early in next year after lower CEC volumes in recent months.

Analysing the CRS Cut-Off for the December 16, 2025 CEC Draw

We are so thrilled for the candidates sitting in the Express Entry pool at the 515 range (and whose profiles were submitted before the tie-breaker). After a really trying and uncertain year, this draw and the 515 cut-off must come as a huge relief for many of you.

As an aside, we’re also pleased with ourselves for our analysis last week on whether the CRS would drop. We noted that another large draw would likely see the CRS required decrease to around 515 — and we were right about that!

What today’s CEC draw says about the pool

We’re excited to see another significant drop in the Express Entry pool at the 501-600 range. After today’s draw, the pool is likely sitting somewhere around 17,000 candidates at the 501-600 range. While this is still highly competitive, it’s a trend headed in the right direction for stabilizing CRS cut-offs. Though there are still plenty of factors that could cause the CRS to increase again in 2026.

Worth noting is that most of the approximately 17,000 people in this range will have scores between 501-515. This means that every CRS point you receive really could count when it comes to getting an invitation in 2026. If you have any opportunities to increase your score, even slightly, it could be worth securing those additional points for upcoming draws.

You can see more about current trends in the Express Entry pool on our dedicated page.

How Does the Canadian Experience Class Work Under Express Entry? 

For anyone new to this the Canadian Experience Class is designed for people who’ve already gained skilled work experience inside Canada. 

• Learn more about Express Entry with our dedicated Express Entry page.

Under Express Entry, your profile is scored using the CRS system, same as the other programs. The advantage for CEC candidates is that Canadian experience tends to bump scores higher and make candidates more competitive. And the performance data backs it up: CEC newcomers consistently rank among the strongest economic performers after landing. They tend to settle into stable jobs faster, earn higher wages sooner, and move up the ladder more quickly than many other groups in the Express Entry mix.

Further Resources for CEC Candidates

For more information:

• Learn more about the latest Express Entry draws.
• Learn more about the state of the Express Entry pool.
• Learn when to expect the next Express Entry draw.
• Use our online Express Entry CRS calculator to learn more about your current score and how to improve it.