When is the Next CEC Draw in 2025?

This break in CEC draws may seem surprising, especially since Canada just restated its plans to prioritize CEC in 2025 in one of its recent announcements. And while Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) hasn’t announced its reasoning for the break in CEC draws, we have a pretty good idea what’s behind it.  

Key Takeaways 

• The recent lack of Canadian Experience Class draws is likely due to the government’s plans to remove points for a job offer for Express Entry.  

• There is some uncertainty whether the job offer points will still be removed if a new immigration minister is appointed.   

Why Hasn’t There Been a Canadian Experience Class Draw Since February 2025? 

We aren’t certain what’s behind the pause. IRCC has not made any announcement about why it has stopped the regular CEC draws.  

However, we believe that it’s likely related to the plan to remove points for a job offer in Canada’s Express Entry system. Canada had planned to remove Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for a valid job offer in ‘Spring 2025’.  

We know that some Young Professionals in the Express Entry pool have already had their points removed. Plus, Spring starts on the March Equinox, which is on Thursday March 20 this year. In other words, this change could be right around the corner. 

While the pause is most likely due to the plan to remove CRS points for a job offer, some of the other reasons that CEC draws may have been paused include:  

• Technical issues, though this is unlikely given that other draws have continued during the CEC pause.  

• Internal discussions about policies and priorities. There have been significant changes in immigration policy, including the introduction of the education category and reduced PNP targets, so there may be some internal discussions taking place about the allocation of category-based invitations compared to CEC invitations.  

• It could be part of a broader plan to encourage people who are in Canada and not completely committed to trying to stay in Canada to leave Canada. This would align with the immigration plan this year to have temporary residents leave Canada. We think this is unlikely, however, since the persistently high CRS in CEC draws is already a deterrent for those who aren’t highly motivated to stay.   

When Is The Next CEC Draw in 2025? 

We don’t know exactly when the next Canadian Experience Class draw will be, but we expect it will happen after the Canadian government announces that it has removed points for a job offer within the Express Entry pool.  

We hope that it will be relatively soon, given the pause has already persisted for over a month. However, we do think it’s possible that we won’t see a Canadian Experience Class draw in the next round of draws (which may take place next week).  

More likely, we think that there will be an announcement shortly about the points removal and more details about what that will look like for candidates in the Express Entry pool. Draws will likely resume after that announcement. Given the pent up demand in the pool and the high number of Express Entry candidates with scores about 501+, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a CRS of 510 or higher even when the points for job offers are removed. 

However, if we’ve learned anything about immigration and Express Entry draws in recent months and years, it’s to expect the unexpected. So, we’re looking forward to seeing when the next draw is – and we’ll cross our fingers for those candidates who are currently in the pool waiting for a CEC draw.  

• Read this for tips on managing your stress during your uncertain immigration journey.