Canada Express Entry: 1,000 CEC ITAs with CRS 533 – Oct 28, 2025

(CANADA) Canada invited 1,000 skilled workers already in the country to apply for permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class on October 28, 2025, setting a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System requirement of a CRS score 533 and continuing a pattern of steady, targeted draws aimed at people with recent Canadian work experience. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said the tie-break rule for this round meant

“only candidates who submitted their profiles before March 21, 2025 at 04:16:27 UTC were invited,”

a detail that can determine who receives an Invitation to Apply when many candidates share the same score. The draw was numbered 375 in the Express Entry rounds of invitations system.

The cutoff of a CRS score 533 comes in one point lower than the previous Canadian Experience Class draw on October 1, 2025, which required 534. It was also the fourth straight CEC round with 1,000 Invitations to Apply, a steady cadence that has held since August and kept the score band tight between 533 and 534. For candidates who have been hovering at the threshold, the small dip underscores how a single point—gained through a language score increase, an extra month of skilled experience, or a completed credential—can be decisive.

IRCC has run 10 CEC-specific draws so far this year and has issued 22,850 Invitations to Apply to Canadian Experience Class candidates in 2025. Those figures indicate a sustained focus on people already embedded in the labour market, and the agency has said it aims to

“recognize skilled talent already working and contributing within Canada”

and to

“transition skilled workers already contributing to the Canadian economy.”

That approach aligns with Canada’s broader strategy to convert more temporary residents—especially workers who have built up time and ties in the country—into permanent residents.

The Canadian Experience Class targets people with at least one year of full-time skilled work experience in Canada in the last three years, along with language proficiency and an intention to live outside Quebec. Because many CEC candidates live and work in Canada on temporary permits, CEC rounds often move quickly from invitation to application for permanent residence, which can offer stability to employers and families. For international graduates who have progressed into skilled roles, this pathway is often the first realistic shot at a permanent future.

Tuesday’s draw again kept the number of invitations fixed at 1,000, matching the previous three CEC rounds since August. That capped approach has held the CRS cutoff steady near the mid-530s, creating a predictable band that helps candidates plan their next steps. For those just below the line, even small improvements can push a profile into contention. Language test gains can boost points; additional months in a skilled occupation can tip a candidate over a CRS threshold; and completing a higher level of education can move a profile up the ranks.

The system’s tie-breaking rule—this time set to March 21, 2025 at 04:16:27 UTC—is a technical lever that matters in practice. When multiple profiles sit at a CRS score 533, the timestamp becomes the deciding factor, with earlier submissions receiving priority. IRCC’s wording leaves little ambiguity:

“only candidates who submitted their profiles before March 21, 2025 at 04:16:27 UTC were invited.”

For people on the cusp, keeping an Express Entry profile updated and active can be the difference between an invitation now and a continued wait.

The CRS score 533 threshold will shape the choices of thousands of candidates currently in the pool. Some will look to retake language tests in English or French to pick up points they narrowly missed. Others will consider completing a new credential, whether a one-year graduate certificate or a master’s program, to push their score higher. Work experience continues to be a powerful driver under the Canadian Experience Class, given the program’s requirement for at least a year of skilled employment in Canada within the last three years, and candidates who reach that one-year mark often see their profiles become competitive in CEC-focused rounds.

Provincial nominations remain the single most dramatic boost available. A nomination certificate adds 600 points to a candidate’s CRS total, a surge that can lift even a mid-400s profile safely over any recent cutoff. For those who were not among the 1,000 invited on October 28, a provincial nomination can transform the outlook, though availability varies by province and program criteria often evolve quickly. The interplay between provincial streams and the federal Express Entry rounds of invitations continues to influence how and when candidates apply.

The one-point change from the October 1, 2025 CEC draw underscores how tight the competition has been in recent months. With four consecutive rounds holding at 1,000 invitations and the CRS hovering between 533 and 534, many candidates will be reading the patterns closely. For people nearing expiry of temporary work permits, particularly Post-Graduation Work Permit holders, an invitation now can mean moving from uncertainty to a permanent plan. For employers managing staffing in sectors hit by shortages, steady CEC draws help retain talent trained on the job.

IRCC has emphasized the role of experienced, in-Canada workers in easing labour gaps, a theme that has defined the agency’s selection strategy across 2025. The CEC’s design rewards those with proven Canadian work histories, and the year-to-date count of 22,850 CEC Invitations to Apply points to meaningful space carved out for this group. The latest round being draw number 375 provides a marker in a year that has balanced program-specific selections, including Canadian Experience Class rounds, with category-based draws targeting fields like healthcare and French-language proficiency.

Candidates taking stock after Tuesday’s invitations will parse their options along familiar lines. Those just below a CRS score 533 will consider how much ground a language score bump could cover and whether an additional credential is realistic. People newly hitting the one-year skilled experience threshold may find themselves in range for the next CEC round, especially if the invitation count remains at 1,000 and the cutoff stays near its current band. Others will look outward to provincial nomination programs, where a successful application can add 600 points and virtually guarantee an invitation in a subsequent federal round.

Analysts have suggested another Express Entry rounds of invitations could come as soon as October 29–30, 2025, potentially aimed at specific categories such as healthcare or French proficiency. While the timing and focus of any next round remain at IRCC’s discretion, the regularity of recent draws has helped set expectations. For many candidates, a rhythm of weekly or bi-weekly selections creates planning windows to update profiles, schedule language tests, or gather documents so they can act quickly if an invitation lands.

The narrative of 2025’s CEC selections is increasingly consistent: measured volumes, narrow score bands, and a clear emphasis on people already working in Canada. For candidates, the message is to keep profiles current and to look for achievable point gains that can clear a cutoff like a CRS score 533 in a Canada Express Entry round. For those who did receive one of the 1,000 Invitations to Apply on October 28, 2025, the next steps include assembling a complete application for permanent residence and meeting document requirements within IRCC timelines.

The details of each round, including draw numbers, cutoff scores, and tie-break timestamps, are posted by IRCC shortly after invitations are issued. For official updates and historical results, candidates can consult IRCC’s page on Express Entry rounds of invitations at the Government of Canada’s official website. As the year’s 10th CEC draw closes and profiles reset for the next selection, the people living and working in Canada on temporary status will be watching for the next chance to turn their experience into a permanent home.