First draw for the Canadian Experience Class of 2025

On January 8, the Express Entry system launched its second lottery of the year to invite permanent residency in Canada. This time, it did so for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program. Candidates invited had a minimum score of 542 on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 1350 Invitations to Apply (ITAs); this is a higher number than the previous day's draw, with 471 ITAs channeled through the provincial nominee program aligned with fast-track entry.

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In this blog, I will give you details of the Canadian Experience Class program and its importance as a focus for immigration to Canada this year 2025. Let's get started.

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What is the Canadian Experience Class (CEC)?

The CEC program is an immigration pathway that offers permanent residency to foreign workers who have accumulated at least one year of skilled work experience within Canada. This program is managed by the Express Entry system and, in this year 2025, promises to be one of the main options to transition to permanent status in the country, as it is within what the government has called Focus on Canada. 

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Why does IRCC refer to Focus on Canada?

According to the 2025-2027 Tier Plan, released on October 24, 2024, the Canadian government has developed targets for temporary and permanent residents and anticipates that more than 40% of total permanent resident admissions in 2025 will be students or workers already in Canada. Hence, the emphasis is on ensuring that new admissions are dedicated to facilitating the transition to permanent residence under the so-called Focus on Canada. 

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This year, the Canadian Experience Class is of great importance as a permanent residency pathway for professionals with higher level academic studies who have obtained the qualifying experience within the country's requirements. However, those temporary residents who have not been able to accumulate or complete the one year of qualifying work experience within Canada should take advantage of this opportunity by securing qualified jobs, which fall into the TEER category (training, education, experience and responsibility normally required to work in an occupation) identified as 0, 1, 2 or 3.

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What is required to apply for the Candiense Experience Class?

To apply for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) of the Express Entry program in Canada, the applicant needs to meet the following requirements:

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• Have qualifying work experience of at least 12 months full-time (30 hours per week) in an occupation categorized in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) within the last 36 months with a verifiable Canadian employer. The work experience must have been paid and acquired while holding a valid authorization to work in Canada. Find your NOC/TEER here: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/find-national-occupation-code.html 

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• Must demonstrate a minimum proficiency (CLB 7) in one of Canada's official languages (English or French), proficiency level varies by occupation. 

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• Present an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) and/or a Canadian post-secondary academic diploma.

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• Not be inadmissible to Canada due to medical, criminal or security issues.

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The CEC program has become one of Canada's major immigration pathways for skilled workers. However, remember that the CEC is managed by the demanding Express Entry system, which works by accumulated points based on your training, experience and skills, hence your minimum required score is used to assess the applicant's eligibility, successfully compete and be selected in a lottery to receive the coveted ITA and apply for permanent residency. 

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This process requires planning and is not achieved overnight, so it is advisable to set clear goals this 2025 to be part of the number of admissions contemplated by Immigration according to the 2025-2027 Level Plan.

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I hope this topic will help you understand the value of holding a skilled job in Canada and your chances of qualifying for permanent residency through the Canadian Experience Class. If you would like to assess your immigration profile to know your level of competitiveness in the Express Entry system this 2025, I invite you to schedule an immigration consultation with our team of consultants and lawyers regulated by the Immiland CICC. Request an immigration appointment here.

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Thanks for reading, see you in a future blog!

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With love,

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Immiland