Foreign skilled workers received encouraging news as Canada issued new invitations to apply for permanent residency through the Express Entry system. On June 12, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada invited 3,000 candidates under the Canadian Experience Class stream. This draw was conducted at 14:06:31 UTC, and the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required for selection was 529.
In situations where multiple candidates had the same CRS score, priority was given based on the date and time they submitted their profiles. For this round, the tie-breaking rule was applied to profiles submitted before September 28, 2024, at 18:06:46 UTC.
This draw marked the fifth for the Canadian Experience Class in 2025. Earlier in the year, draws were held on January 8 with 1,350 invitations issued and a CRS cut-off of 542, and on January 23, when 4,000 invitations were sent out with a cut-off score of 527. Another 4,000 were invited on February 5 with a cut-off of 521. The most recent previous round was on May 13, where 500 invitations were issued with a higher cut-off of 547.
The Canadian Experience Class is specifically for foreign nationals who have gained skilled work experience in Canada. To qualify, applicants must have completed at least one year of paid full-time skilled work (or the equivalent in part-time work) within the last three years while living in Canada with valid temporary resident status. This work must be compensated with wages or commissions—volunteer work or unpaid internships do not count toward eligibility. Experience gained while working without proper authorization or while living outside Canada temporarily is not considered valid.
Canada offers several pathways to permanent residency, including programs managed through the Express Entry system and the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Within Express Entry, there are three main programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class.
To apply, individuals must first create an Express Entry profile. If deemed eligible, they are entered into a pool of candidates and assigned a CRS score based on factors like work experience, education, age, and language ability. IRCC regularly invites top-ranked candidates from this pool to submit full applications for permanent residency. Being in the pool, however, does not guarantee an invitation to apply.
The CRS score distribution in the pool as of June 11, 2025, showed how many candidates were eligible in various scoring brackets. These numbers fluctuate frequently as new profiles are added and old ones expire, impacting the competitiveness of future draws.
