Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued invitations to apply (ITAs) in Canada’s most recent Express Entry draw.
The department issued 3,000 ITAs in a program-specific draw for candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 522 to be considered.
Today’s draw is the second of the week and follows a program-specific draw on May 30 for Express Entry candidates with a nomination through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). It is the first draw specifically for CEC candidates since September 14, 2021 and also featured the lowest CRS score of the year for a non-category-based selection draw.
This week’s draws also represent the first program-specific draws since the introduction of category-based selection in May 2023. Many CEC candidates, as well as PNP candidates, are already living and working in Canada as temporary residents. These draws reflect IRCC’s recently announced commitment to hold more “domestic draws” to help more temporary residents transition to permanent residents and bring down the overall level of temporary residents in Canada.
Program-specific draws consider only candidates from the Express Entry pool who have applied through a specific permanent residency program rather than inviting applicants from all programs, such as occurs in a general draw.
The May 30 draw was also the first Express Entry draw since April 24 following a month-long pause. IRCC has not confirmed a reason for the pause. However, in a recent Access to Information Request, the department said all draws this year will occur on a predetermined schedule. IRCC has not made that schedule public. It also said draw size and frequency will be determined based on admissions targets in 2024 and 2025. Processing capacity may also influence draw frequency.
Before the pause, there were four draws throughout April. The first April draw invited 1,280 candidates in a general draw on April 10. The following day the department issued 4,500 ITAs to Express Entry candidates in a category-based selection draw for STEM occupations.
The remaining two draws took place on April 23 and 24. On the 23rd, IRCC invited 2,095 candidates in a general draw and 1,400 candidates in a French proficiency category-based selection draw on the 24th.
According to a recent Access to Information Request, French proficiency is expected to lead category-based selection draws in 2024. IRCC says this is due to the high rate of employment for bilingual candidates. The department also said French proficiency generally means these candidates have a higher CRS score and therefore a better chance of overall successful economic integration.
STEM occupations will have the second highest number of ITAs at 25%, healthcare occupations at 15%. Transport, trades and agriculture and agri-food categories will account for 5% or less of all ITAs issued in category-based draws this year.
The remaining 21.5% of ITAs was slated to be issued in general draws. Notably, no mention was made of program-specific draws.
Summary of Express Entry draw results in 2024
| Date | Draw Type | Number of ITAs | Minimum CRS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 program has unique eligibility requirements but they are all evaluated using the same Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
Through the CRS, Express Entry candidates are given a point score for several human capital factors such as their work experience, occupation, language ability, age, education or if they are immigrating with a spouse or partner.
Each score is added together to give candidates their final CRS score. Those with higher scores are the most likely to receive an ITA in an upcoming Express Entry draw.
In May 2023 IRCC also introduced category-based selection draws for those Express Entry candidates with specific work experience or language abilities. The six 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
- Strong French proficiency
These categories will remain in place throughout 2024 but may change in 2025.
Immigration candidates must be in the Express Entry pool and meet other category requirements to be considered.
