Canada invites foreigners to apply for permanent residence

(CANADA) Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada issued back-to-back invitations this week under its Express Entry system, signaling a steady push to convert skilled workers already in the country and provincially nominated candidates into permanent residents.

On November 12, 2025, IRCC sent 1,000 invitations to apply to candidates in the Canadian Experience Class with a CRS cut-off of 533. This came two days after a Provincial Nominee Program–focused draw on November 10, 2025 that issued 714 invitations with a CRS cut-off of 738. The twin draws, numbered #378 and #377 respectively, affect workers across Canada with recent Canadian experience and those backed by a provincial nomination. They form part of a year in which IRCC has already issued about 23,850 invitations to foreign workers with Canadian work experience.

How Express Entry ranking works

The Express Entry system uses the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to rank skilled candidates. CRS assigns points for:

• Age
• Education
• Official language ability
• Skilled work experience

In 2025, IRCC continued running category-based selections that favor profiles in:

• Healthcare
• Education
• Skilled trades
• STEM professions
• Agriculture
• Candidates with strong French-language skills

These categories reflect persistent labor shortages reported by provincial governments and employers and offer more predictable access to permanent residence for candidates who match the priorities. IRCC frames the category approach as a way to bring in people whose skills are tied to real jobs and services communities need.

Policy context: Immigration Levels Plan 2025–2027

The federal government’s Immigration Levels Plan 2025–2027 underpins these choices. Key aims:

• Steer Express Entry toward applicants who can quickly join the workforce and fill essential roles
• Balance economic growth with system capacity
• Support a mix of general and category-based draws so both high-scoring general candidates and priority-field applicants receive Invitations to Apply (ITAs)
• Anchor draws to set categories so candidates can better judge when they may be competitive

Details of this week’s draws and what they mean

Canadian Experience Class draw (Nov 12, 2025)

• Invitations issued: 1,000
• CRS cut-off: 533
• Significance:
  • A CRS score of 533 is reachable for many experienced workers in Canada, particularly with strong language scores plus a year or more of recent skilled work experience.
  • For thousands of applicants, months of planning—language tests, education assessments, and work history documentation—can now move to the next stage.
  • Those who received ITAs typically have 60 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence, including supporting documents, after which IRCC conducts eligibility checks and medical and security screening.
  • For employers, the draw helps staff on limited-term work permits secure a path to stay and reduces churn in workplaces that rely on mid-career talent grown in Canada.

Provincial Nominee Program draw (Nov 10, 2025)

• Invitations issued: 714
• CRS cut-off: 738
• Significance:
  • A CRS cut-off of 738 generally indicates candidates holding a provincial nomination, which substantially increases a profile’s CRS points and signals direct provincial interest.
  • PNP rounds favor applicants who have built ties to a province through employment or community connection and who match local occupation targets.
  • Provinces use nomination as a retention tool to keep engineers, nurses, truck drivers, technologists, and others who might otherwise leave when work permits expire.

The Express Entry process — step by step

1. Submit an online profile to enter the Express Entry pool and receive a CRS score.
2. IRCC conducts periodic draws and issues Invitations to Apply to candidates meeting the round’s cut-off.
3. Invitees submit a full online permanent residence application within 60 days.
4. IRCC checks documents, verifies work and language claims, and completes medical and security reviews.

The steps are straightforward on paper but require careful timing in practice, especially when language results expire and work permits come due.

Practical implications for candidates and employers

• Candidates near the 533 mark may rush to:
  • Update language results
  • Add proof of additional skilled work months
  • Improve other profile elements before the next round
• PNP candidates focus on provincial intake windows to secure or finalize a nomination that can lift mid-range CRS scores into competitiveness.
• French-speaking applicants may find category-based selections open opportunities even if their CRS lags slightly behind general thresholds (outside Quebec, which runs its own system).

Year-to-date impact and provincial partnership

• Year-to-date, IRCC has issued about 23,850 invitations to workers with Canadian experience, highlighting the centrality of the CEC in 2025.
• Advantages:
  • Candidates with Canadian experience tend to pass admissibility checks more quickly and settle faster.
  • Employers benefit from improved retention and stability as workers convert to permanent residence.
• PNP draws reinforce federal-provincial partnership:
  • Clearing nominated candidate inventories helps provinces advance workforce plans.
  • Steady federal processing enables provinces to plan subsequent nomination cycles with more confidence.

Analysis perspective

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the two draws illustrate a dual-track strategy:

• One stream favors in-country workers through the Canadian Experience Class.
• The other advances provincially targeted talent through PNP.

This approach gives IRCC flexibility to manage volumes while maintaining category priorities (healthcare, education, skilled trades, STEM, agriculture, French-language ability). It also spreads benefits beyond large cities, since provincial nominations often draw candidates to smaller centers with recruitment challenges.

What to watch and where to get official details

• The key numbers this week: 1,000 invitations to CEC candidates at 533, and 714 invitations to PNP candidates at 738.
• Future draw sizes and timing are not announced in advance, but the alternating pattern offers candidates a working sense of preparation priorities.
• Official guidance, eligibility rules, CRS factors, and application steps are available at the IRCC Express Entry overview: IRCC Express Entry overview.

Human stakes and final takeaway

• Behind the statistics are real-life consequences: a PR invitation can affect where children go to school, whether a family can buy a home, and whether an employer can plan for years ahead.
• For many CEC candidates, Wednesday’s draw turns waiting into a sprint to finalize applications. For PNP candidates, Monday’s draw validates provincial choices and encourages settling where skills are needed.
• The message to candidates in the pool is simple:
  • Keep profiles accurate
  • Stay ready for document deadlines
  • Watch CRS cut-offs closely

When the next invitations arrive, the window to act will be short—and the opportunity, as shown this week, will be clear.