Four kinds of candidates who are now eligible for CEC invitations after falling cut-off scores
After stagnating around 533–534 from August to November 2025, Canadian Experience Class (CEC) cut-off scores have begun to drop significantly—to as low as 509 on January 1, 2026.
With the recent drop in cut-off scores, thousands of CEC candidates who previously scored too low to receive a chance at Canadian permanent residence have been newly invited, despite having lower language scores, no foreign work experience, and lower levels of education.
If cut-off scores for CEC draws remain at this level or continue to fall, more candidates will find themselves eligible to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) despite scoring lower in certain areas under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
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This article will feature fictional profiles that could now qualify for a CEC ITA because of declining cut-off scores despite having lower qualifications under a certain score factor.
For reference, here are the cut-off scores and number of ITAs issued for the five most recent CEC draws—after CRS scores deviated from the 533–534 cut-off score trend.
| Date of draw | Cut-off score | ITAs issued |
|---|---|---|
| January 21, 2026 | 509 | 6,000 |
| January 7, 2026 | 511 | 8,000 |
| December 16, 2025 | 515 | 5,000 |
| December 10, 2025 | 520 | 6,000 |
| November 26, 2025 | 531 | 1,000 |
Example one: Candidates with lower language scores
Micheal is a single 27-year-old male from Czechia and has three years of foreign work experience as a web developer under his belt.
He has a three-year bachelor’s degree in computer science (obtained in his home country) and a two-year master’s degree in web design and development (obtained in Canada on a study permit).
Micheal has four years of Canadian work experience on an employer-specific work permit.
He tests at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 for English, and he does not know any French.
Should he get an ITA, he plans to settle in New Brunswick near his brother who became a Canadian citizen through naturalization.
| Factors determining CRS score | Qualifications | Points accrued |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 27 years of age | 110 |
| Education | Master's degree | 135 |
| Language proficiency | CLB 7 | 68 |
| Canadian work experience | 4 years | 72 |
| Skill transferability: Education (Canadian work experience + post-secondary degree) | 4 years Canadian experience + Master’s degree | 50 |
| Skill transferability: Foreign work experience (Canadian + foreign work experience) | 4 years Canadian experience + 3 years foreign experience | 50 |
| Additional factors: Post-secondary education in Canada | Two-year master’s degree | 15 |
| Additional factors: Sibling in Canada | Brother in New Brunswick | 15 |
| Total score | 515 | |
Based on his qualifications, Micheal has a CRS score of 515.
Even with a lower language score (CLB 7 across all four language abilities), Michael would have likely received an ITA in any of the three most recent CEC draws—without having to improve his language skills to become a more competitive candidate, as many tend to do. His advanced education and foreign/Canadian work experience made all the difference.
Example two: Candidates with no foreign work experience
Cierra is a single 29-year-old from Scotland, who obtained a one-year college certificate in her home country right after finishing secondary school.
She then moved to Alberta, Canada on a study permit, where she completed a four-year bachelor’s degree. After graduating, she obtained a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) and has remained working in Alberta for three years.
Once her PGWP validity concluded, she worked on an employer-specific work permit for one year.
Cierra has no foreign work experience, in Scotland or otherwise.
As for language skills, she has decent English skills (CLB 8) and an NCLC 5 in French.
| Factors determining CRS score | Qualifications | Points accrued |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 29 years of age | 110 |
| Education | 2 educational credentials | 128 |
| Language proficiency | CLB 8 + NCLC 5 | 96 |
| Canadian work experience | 4 years | 72 |
| Skill transferability: Education (language + post-secondary degree) | CLB 8 + 2 educational credentials | 25 |
| Skill transferability: Education (Canadian work experience + post-secondary degree) | 4 years Canadian work experience + 2 educational credentials | 50 |
| Additional factors: Post-secondary education in Canada | 4-year bachelor’s degree in Alberta | 30 |
| Total score | 511 | |
Based on her qualifications, Cierra has a CRS score of 511.
With a CRS score of 511, Cierra would have qualified for the last two CEC draws despite having no foreign work experience under her belt. Gaining more (or any) foreign work experience is a common tactic to boost your CRS score—unnecessary here due to other factors such as age, education, and Canadian work experience.
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Example three: Candidates with only one year of Canadian work experience
Arjun is a single 32-year-old executive assistant professor living in India—he has worked there in this role for three years.
Arjun is highly educated, having a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a PhD in business administration.
He struggled finding a job and decided immigrating to Canada may be his best bet. He obtained a work permit through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to build eligibility under the CEC. He’s been working in Canada for one year as an executive assistant.
His English language skills are highly advanced (CLB 11), and his French-language skills are at an NCLC 6.
| Factors determining CRS score | Qualifications | Points accrued |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 32 years of age | 94 |
| Education | PhD in business administration | 150 |
| Language proficiency | CLB 11 + NCLC 6 | 140 |
| Canadian work experience | 1 year | 40 |
| Skill transferability: Education (language + post-secondary degree) | CLB 11 + PhD | 50 |
| Skill transferability: Foreign work experience (language + foreign work experience) | CLB 11 + 3 years foreign experience | 50 |
| Total score | 524 | |
Based on his qualifications, Arjun has a CRS score of 524.
Canadian work experience is lauded under the CRS (up to 80 points for five or more years’ worth), and as such, many candidates attempt to rack up as much work experience within the country as possible. But even with just one year of Canadian work experience, Arjun could have expected to have received an ITA in the last four CEC draws—which wouldn’t have been possible when cut-off scores were much higher.
Example four: Candidates with a one-year college certificate
Malaya is a married 30-year-old Philippines national with three years of food service experience in her home country.
She obtained a Canadian study permit and completed a one-year food and beverage management certificate program in Canada; her 33-year-old husband, Luis, joined her in Canada on a closed work permit—he has a two-year diploma in business finance obtained in the Philippines.
After graduating, she got an employer-specific work permit and worked as a restaurant manager for three years.
Malaya has advanced English Skills (CLB 11) and knows some French (NCLC 5). Her husband Luis tests at CLB 7 for English but doesn’t know any French.
| Factors determining CRS score | Qualifications | Points accrued |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 30 years of age | 95 |
| Education | One-year certificate | 84 |
| Language proficiency | CLB 11 + NCLC 5 | 132 |
| Canadian work experience | 3 years | 56 |
| Spouse: Education | Two-year diploma | 7 |
| Spouse: Language | CLB 7 | 12 |
| Spouse: Canadian work experience | 4 years | 9 |
| Skill transferability: Education (language + post-secondary degree) | CLB 11 + one-year certificate | 25 |
| Skill transferability: Education (Canadian work experience + post-secondary degree) | 3 years Canadian experience + one-year certificate | 25 |
| Skill transferability: Foreign work experience (language + foreign work experience) | CLB 11 + 3 years foreign experience | 50 |
| Additional factors: Post-secondary education in Canada | One-year credential | 15 |
| Total score | 510 | |
Based on Malaya qualifications (and those of her accompanying spouse, Luis), Malaya has a CRS score of 510.
Despite only having a one-year post-secondary certificate and losing three points from listing Luis as an accompanying spouse, Malaya’s CRS score is one point higher than the cut-off score for the most recent CEC draw. She would have likely received an ITA from IRCC, without having to return to school to gain an additional credential (another common score-boosting strategy).
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