Although the last Canadian Experienced Class (CEC) draw happened just 11 days ago, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued its latest round of CEC invitations on May 31st. 5,965 candidates received their Invitation to Apply (ITA), which more than tripled than the last round. The lowest draw score for the 190th draw is 380, 17 points less than the last round. This is the lowest score since February’s 75 points.

After the 188th CEC draw, many expected a further reduce of the minimum score. Fortunately, IRCC did live up to candidates’ hopes. The continuous decrease of thresholds implies IRCC’s willingness to accept more immigrant.

Doubtlessly, February’s 75 points “amnesty” is an unprecedented step in the history of Canadian immigration. However, the following months’ CEC score fluctuation was IRCC’s real test on candidates’ patience and immigration eagerness. Fortunately, it turns out that the wait was worthwhile.

IRCC’s latest statistics from May 25th display a total of 166,904 candidates in the Express Entry pool. The number of candidates in the 351-400 score range, which contains 57, 803 applicants, makes up the highest percentage.

For 2021, IRCC designated an intake cap of 108,500 new immigrants under the Federal Skilled Trades Program. This includes those who applied through FSW, FWT, and CEC. By the end of May, IRCC has already invited over half of the candidates to apply.

Despite the optimism raised by recent reductions of CEC scores, the competition has nevertheless deepened. The diminishing number of available seats raises both enthusiasm and anxiety. One can be a competitive candidate yet still misses his opportunity to apply due to bad timing. According to current trends of draw scores, we suggest those who ranks 350 or above to enter the EE pool as soon as possible.