Express Entry: IRCC invites 1,499 candidates in latest draw

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued invitations to apply (ITAs) in Canada’s latest Express Entry draw.

The department issued 1,499  ITAs in a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)- only draw.

Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 663 to be considered.

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This draw follows two draws on May 30 and 31. They were unique in that they were both program-specific draws. No program-specific draws have taken place since the introduction of category-based selection draws in May 2023.

The May 30 draw considered only candidates who had a provincial nomination thorough the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and the May 31 draw was for candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). Together, these draws issued ITAs to 5,985 Express Entry candidates.

The CEC draw was the first such draw since September 2021. As many CEC candidates currently live and work in Canada, the draw is in line with Canada’s recent announcement that would be holding more domestic draws to transition more temporary residents to permanent residents and bring down the overall level of temporary residents in Canada. This also applies to the PNP draw.

Summary of Express Entry draw results in 2024

Date	Draw Type	Number of ITAs	Minimum CRS
November 20	Healthcare occupations	3,000	463
November 19	Canadian Experience Class	400	539
November 18	Provincial Nominee Program	174	816
November 15	French language proficiency	800	478
November 13	Canadian Experience Class	400	547
November 12	Provincial Nominee Program	733	812
October 23	Trade occupations	1,800	433
October 22	Canadian Experience Class	400	539
October 21	Provincial Nominee Program	648	791
October 10	French language proficiency	1,000	444
October 9	Canadian Experience Class	500	539
October 7	Provincial Nominee Program	1,613	743
September 19	Canadian Experience Class	4,000	509
September 13	French language proficiency	1,000	446
September 9	Provincial Nominee Program	911	732
August 27	Canadian Experience Class	3,300	507
August 26	Provincial Nominee Program	1,121	694
August 15	French language proficiency	2,000	394
August 14	Canadian Experience Class	3,200	509
August 13	Provincial Nominee Program	763	690
July 31	Canadian Experience Class	5,000	510
July 30	Provincial Nominee Program	964	686
July 18	French language proficiency	1,800	400
July 17	Canadian Experience Class	6,300	515
July 16	Provincial Nominee Program	1,391	670
July 8	French proficiency	3,200	420
July 5	Healthcare occupations	3,750	445
July 4	Trade occupations	1,800	436
July 2	Provincial Nominee Program	920	739
June 19	Provincial Nominee Program	1,499	663
May 31	Canadian Experience Class	3,000	522
May 30	Provincial Nominee Program	2,985	676
April 24	French proficiency	1,400	410
April 23	General	2,095	529
April 11	STEM occupations	4,500	491
April 10	General	1,280	549
March 26	French language proficiency	1,500	388
March 25	General	1,980	524
March 13	Transport occupations	975	430
March 12	General	2,850	525
February 29	French language proficiency	2,500	336
February 28	General	1,470	534
February 16	Agriculture and agri-food occupations	150	437
February 14	Healthcare occupations	3,500	422
February 13	General	1,490	535
February 1	French language proficiency	7,000	365
January 31	General	730	541
January 23	General	1,040	543
January 10	General	1,510	546

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is an application management system that oversees three of Canada’s most prominent economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

Each of these programs uses the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to evaluate candidates based on human capital factors such as their age, work experience, language ability, occupation, and education. The system also considers the inclusion of a spouse or partner in an application.

Each factor is worth a certain number of points and when added together, these points comprise a candidate’s overall CRS score. Once the candidate receives a CRS score, they are then ranked against other Express Entry candidates and those with the highest scores are the most likely to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residency in an upcoming Express Entry draw.

All three programs have different eligibility criteria but use the same system.

Once a candidate receives an ITA, they have 60 days to submit their final application for permanent residence to IRCC.

What is category-based selection?

Category-based selection was introduced in May 2023 as a means for IRCC to select Express Entry candidates with attributes that will have the most positive impact and Canada’s labour force and economy.

The six categories include five that are occupation based and one that targets candidates with strong proficiency in the French language. The occupation categories are:

• Healthcare occupations
• Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
• Trades occupations, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
• Transport occupations
• Agriculture and agri-food occupations

According to a recently obtained Access to Information Request, the highest number of category-based selection draws this year will be for candidates in the French proficiency category (30%). Healthcare and STEM occupations will account for 15% and 25% respectively and the remaining categories will be 5% or less.

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