Vimal Sivakumar - 01 February, 2024
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has now conducted its second Express Entry draw this week. This article will detail the results of Canada's latest Express Entry draw, which occurred on February 1, 2024.
Canada's immigration department conducted its second Express Entry draw in as many days, this time issuing 7000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in a category-based draw for eligible candidates with French-language proficiency. This is the first time IRCC has issued 7,000 ITAs in a single draw since March 29, 2023. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of all candidates who received an ITA in today's draw was 365.
Today's draw follows another draw that took place yesterday (January 31), during which IRCC issued 730 ITAs (in an all-program draw) to eligible candidates with a minimum CRS of 541.
Express Entry
Express Entry is the name that IRCC has given to the application management system Canada uses to manage immigration applications from any of the following three economic-class permanent residence programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
Since June 2023, Canada has conducted a second type of Express Entry draw in addition to so-called "standard" Express Entry draws. This new type of draw is called a category-based draw and it differs from standard draws because it is more intently focused on helping the Canadian government address specific labour market challenges (more on that later).
Standard Express Entry Draws
"Standard" Express Entry draws focus on ranking eligible candidates by an objective value assigned to them based on several human capital factors. This score, known as their CRS score, is what determines who will receive an ITA in a given Express Entry draw.
To be considered for an ITA through a standard Express Entry draw, candidates must follow the following steps:
*ITAs are only given to eligible candidates with CRS scores above the cut-off score determined for that Express Entry draw
Note: Receiving an ITA is the only way that Canadian immigration candidates can apply for permanent residence
Category-Based Express Entry Draws
On the other hand, category-based draws help Canada bring in more foreign skilled workers, but in a manner that focuses on foreign nationals who have work experience or proficiencies that IRCC has designated as a key area of need. At the time of writing, the following six categories have been designated as areas of focus for IRCC's category-based draws:
Express Entry applicants with work experience in the following five fields:
In addition to the above, IRCC has also said they are prioritizing immigration candidates with strong French language proficiency through these draws.
However, IRCC has noted that, while it is currently prioritizing the above candidates for immigration through category-based draws, the department is also allowing itself the opportunity to conduct an annual review of these categories and adjust accordingly if deemed necessary.
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