IRCC invites 3,200 candidates in category-based Express Entry draw for French language proficiency

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued invitations to apply (ITAs) in the fourth Express Entry draw this month.

The department issued 3,200 ITAs in a category-based selection draw for French language proficiency.

Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 420 to be considered.

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Today's draw closely follows three draws from last week between July 2-5. The July 2 draw invited 920 candidates in a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) only draw. Candidates needed a minimum CRS score of 739 to be considered.

The other two draws were category-based selection draws. The first occurred on July 4 and issued 1,800 ITAs to candidates in trade occupations and the second was for 3,750 candidates in healthcare occupations on July 5.

Altogether this month has been a busy one so far for Express Entry draws. IRCC typically holds draws every second week, and averages between two and four draws every month. Comparatively, April was the last month to feature four draws and the February was the busiest of the year so far with six.

French-proficiency draws are expected to account for 30% of the ITAs issued in category-based selection draws this year. To date, IRCC has issued 15,600 ITAs to eligible candidates this year for this category.

Summary of Express Entry draw results in 2024

Date	Draw Type	Number of ITAs	Minimum CRS
December 3	French language proficiency	800	466
December 2	Provincial Nominee Program	676	705
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 IRCC's application management system for three prominent economic immigration programs; the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). It was launched in 2015 to single-out the immigration candidates with the best chance of integrating into Canada's workforce and economy.

Express Entry programs each have different eligibility criteria but all candidates are evaluated using the Comprehensive Ranking System. The system assigns numeric scores to candidates based on human capital factors such as age, language ability, education, work experience and occupation. These scores are added together and form an overall CRS score. The higher the score, the more likely a candidate is to receive an ITA from IRCC in an upcoming Express Entry draw.

What is category-based selection?

Category-based selection draws were introduced in 2023 as a way for IRCC to further target candidates who can fill urgent workforce gaps. The six categories were chosen following extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders, as well as provincial and territorial governments. The current 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
• French-language proficiency

These will remain in place until 2025, at which point they may change to better suit the demands on Canada's labour force. In all categories except French-proficiency, eligible candidates require at least six months of relevant work experience in an occupation that falls under an eligible National Occupation Classification (NOC) code. French-speaking candidates need French language test results with a minimum score of seven in reading, writing, speaking and listening on the on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens

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