Express Entry Draw 335: 4000 CEC Candidates Issued Invitations on February 5, 2025

Key Takeaways for Express Entry Candidates

• Type of draw: Canadian Experience Class
• Invitations issued: 4,000 (was this you?! Congratulations! Don’t forget to update your profile in your Moving2Canada account for more information about your next steps!)
• CRS score: 521
• Tie-breaking rule: November 14, 2025 at 02:52:14 UTC
• Prediction for the next draw: Potentially a French category-based draw this week on either Feb 6 or Feb 7, 2025.
• New to the excitement of Express Entry draws? Check out our guide to Express Entry.

Our Analysis of This Express Entry Draw

We are cautiously optimistic about Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sticking to bi-weekly draws for the Canadian Experience Class this year. So far, so good, with CEC draws regularly taking place every other week since the first CEC draw this year on January 8, 2025. (Though, we are only three regular draws into the year, so it’s too early to tell how long IRCC will keep this up!)

We mentioned in last CEC news article on January 23 that we believe that larger draws, around the 3,000 mark will be common for CEC throughout 2025 as IRCC works towards filling its in-Canada quota of more than 80,000 for 2025. This is in line with that prediction, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see another draw this month inviting between 1,500-2,500 candidates.

At 521, the CRS is the lowest we’ve seen for a CEC draw since the September 19, 2024 draw. The CRS at this point (for a draw inviting 4,000) was 509. While it’s generally good news that the CRS is dropping, we don’t expect to see scores below 510 for some time. Even after today’s draw, there are 23,165 candidates in the pool with a score of 501-600, so competition remains very strong. 

What If You Didn’t Get An Invitation in This CEC Round?

There are a few reasons you may not have received an invitation through this Express Entry round:

1. You were not eligible for the Canadian Experience Class draw. This program-specific draw only invited candidates with eligible work experience in Canada.
2. You did not have a high enough Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. If your score is below 521, check out past results to view trends in the CRS in your program/category. Need to improve your score? Our CRS calculator tool can help. It’s free, you just need to create or log into your Moving2Canada account.
3. Finally, what if you were eligible for the program AND had the right CRS score? Well, it’s possible the tie-breaking rule excluded you. If you entered the Express Entry pool after the tie-breaking date and you had a CRS that was equal to the CRS for this round, unfortunately, you will miss out this round.

Need To Improve Your CRS for The Next CEC Draw?

If this is you, we suggest doing what you can in the short term to improve your CRS above 520. Your language proficiency results are the lowest hanging fruit here, and we suggest retaking your language test if possible to improve your results. But you can use our interactive CRS calculator to learn what you have received points for and what areas you have for improvement.

Applying for a provincial nomination is another option, since competition remains low at the moment in the Express Entry pool. That said, many provinces are not issuing invitations at the moment due to uncertainty relating federal allocations for 2025. So, this route may be more challenging in 2025 than in previous years.

Finally, Canada just launched its Rural and Francophone Community Pilots for 2025. These programs offer a pathway to permanent residency for those willing to move to and work in certain rural communities or communities looking to attract French speakers.

What Does 2025 Hold for CEC Express Entry Draws?

Canada plans to focus on transitioning temporary residents currently in Canada (and presumably with Canadian work experience) to permanent residency, we hope to see bi-weekly draws between 2,000-3,500 each time. 

However, we have stated that we don’t predict that the score will drop much below 500-510, and that’s after points are dropped for job offers in Spring 2025.

Remember — there is a positive note: the immigration levels plan includes a special allocation of 82,980 spots for applicants already in Canada. We expect that a significant portion of these admissions will go to in-Canada applicants who might have otherwise applied through a PNP. For more details on the 2025 PNP targets, you can read our in-depth analysis here.

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.

How Does The Canadian Experience Class Work Under Express Entry?

If you’re not familiar with Canada’s Express Entry system, it’s an application management system used to manage economic immigrants to Canada. It offers streamlined application timelines for those who are invited to apply for permanent residence.

• Keen to learn more about Express Entry? Check out our dedicated Express Entry page.

With that in mind, the Canadian Experience Class is a program for people in the Express Entry pool and who have qualifying work experience in Canada. The idea is that those who have lived and worked in Canada before becoming a permanent resident are more likely to succeed in and stay in Canada — and the research shows that those who come through the Canadian Experience Class are more likely to earn more in Canada than those who become permanent residents without working in Canada as a temporary resident first.

Not sure if you’re eligible for the Canadian Experience Class? Sign up for our free account to access helpful tools, like an eligibility quiz.

You can also sign up for up-to-date information about Express Entry draws via your free Moving2Canada account. Just subscribe to our newsletter for news about the draws and our analysis as it happens, so you’ll never miss the latest results. This can be a powerful tool to help you identify trends and map your pathway to permanent residence in Canada.

For up-to-date information about Express Entry draws, consider creating a free Moving2Canada account and subscribing to our newsletter. We share news about the draws and our analysis as it happens, so you’ll never miss the latest results.