Canada Express Entry: 356 foreigners invited for permanent residency

Canada invited 356 provincial nominees to apply for permanent residency on July 7, 2025, under its Express Entry system. The CRS cutoff rose to 750 due to fewer invites

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 356 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) on July 7, 2025, in its latest Express Entry draw, inviting foreign skilled workers nominated by provinces to apply for permanent residency.

 

This draw—exclusively for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates—required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 750. The cutoff marks an increase of 8 points from the previous PNP-specific draw held on June 23.

 

Fewer invites, higher cutoff

 

The rise in the CRS score is largely due to the smaller number of invitations issued. The draw used a tie-breaking rule of March 19, 2025 at 04:09:09 UTC, which means candidates with a score of 750 who submitted their profiles before that timestamp were prioritised.

 

 

This was the 12th PNP-only draw of the year and brings the total number of Express Entry ITAs issued in 2025 to 42,201.

 

July 7 Express Entry draw

 

Category: Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

Date and time: July 7, 2025

Minimum CRS score: 750

Number of invitations: 356

Tie-breaking rule: March 19, 2025 at 04:09:09 UTC

 

What is Express Entry?

 

Express Entry is an online system Canada uses to manage permanent residency applications for skilled workers. It covers three federal immigration programmes:

 

• Federal Skilled Worker Program

• Federal Skilled Trades Program

• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

 

PNP candidates, although nominated at the provincial level, are also processed through the Express Entry system, with an additional 600 CRS points awarded upon nomination.

 

CEC explained: For those with Canadian work experience

 

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is for skilled workers who have at least one year of full-time (or equivalent part-time) experience in Canada within the past three years. This must be in occupations classified under TEER levels 0, 1, 2, or 3.

 

Eligibility requirements:

 

• Work experience must be legal and skilled, completed in Canada within the last 3 years

• Language requirement: CLB 7 for TEER 0 or 1; CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3

• No need to show proof of settlement funds

• Must create an Express Entry profile

 

“Higher language scores and Canadian education can help push up your CRS score, which directly affects your chances of selection,” said Sonia Dhillon, a regulated immigration consultant based in Toronto.

 

Express Entry draws held so far in 2025

 

• 12 for Provincial Nominee Program

• 6 for Canadian Experience Class

• 3 for French-language proficiency

• 2 for healthcare and social services

• 1 for education occupations

 

What’s new in Express Entry this year

 

The Express Entry system has undergone some category-based updates in 2025. Education occupations have been added as a new priority, while the transport category (which included truck drivers and airline pilots) has been removed. Healthcare and social services now include new roles such as pharmacists and social workers.

 

IRCC has also announced that it will increase the frequency of draws for:

 

• French-language proficiency

• Healthcare and social service occupations

• Trades occupations

• Education occupations