IRCC’s second Express Entry draw in as many days targeted the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) on 23 June, inviting 4,000 candidates at a CRS threshold of 516. The back-to-back draws underscore Ottawa’s focus on candidates already living and working in Canada amid efforts to moderate overall intake while supporting labour-market needs. For talent managers, the message is clear: in-Canada experience remains the surest path to permanent residence. Employers with temporary foreign workers approaching the end of work-permit validity should encourage them to create or update Express Entry profiles promptly.
![IRCC holds 4,000-candidate Canadian Experience Class draw with 516 CRS cut-off]()
VisaHQ’s dedicated Canada service can streamline that preparation, helping workers renew permits, order police certificates, and assemble the documentation that strengthens an Express Entry profile; HR teams and individuals alike can launch secure applications and receive expert guidance at https://www.visahq.com/canada/
A 516 CRS score—though higher than pre-pandemic levels—is increasingly attainable for professionals with at least one year of Canadian skilled work and strong language scores. The draw brings total ITAs issued under CEC in 2026 to more than 41,000, dwarfing invitations in all other streams combined. Companies onboarding international graduates or LMIA-exempt assignees can leverage this policy direction by providing full-time, skilled positions that meet CEC criteria, thereby improving retention and succession planning. Processing times for inland electronic applications currently average six months, meaning today’s invitees could land as permanent residents early in 2027—well within most multi-year assignment cycles.
VisaHQ’s dedicated Canada service can streamline that preparation, helping workers renew permits, order police certificates, and assemble the documentation that strengthens an Express Entry profile; HR teams and individuals alike can launch secure applications and receive expert guidance at https://www.visahq.com/canada/
A 516 CRS score—though higher than pre-pandemic levels—is increasingly attainable for professionals with at least one year of Canadian skilled work and strong language scores. The draw brings total ITAs issued under CEC in 2026 to more than 41,000, dwarfing invitations in all other streams combined. Companies onboarding international graduates or LMIA-exempt assignees can leverage this policy direction by providing full-time, skilled positions that meet CEC criteria, thereby improving retention and succession planning. Processing times for inland electronic applications currently average six months, meaning today’s invitees could land as permanent residents early in 2027—well within most multi-year assignment cycles.
