Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has conducted a third Express Entry draw this week, on July 18, 2024. Read on for the results of this latest draw.
In IRCC's third Express Entry draw in as many days, the department has issued 1,800 more Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in another category-based draw for eligible candidates with French language proficiency. This marks the department's sixth* such draw in 2024. Today's draw saw IRCC issue ITAs to candidates who all had a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 400.
*The only other category that has received more than one category-based draw in 2024 is Healthcare
IRCC's July 18 draw follows two draws that have taken place in the last two days. The details of those draws are as follows:
- July 17: IRCC issued 6,300 ITAs to Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates with a minimum CRS of 515
- July 16: IRCC issued 1,391 ITAs to Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates with a minimum CRS of 436
Express Entry
Express Entry is the name given to IRCC's application management system for economic immigration applications to three specific permanent residence (PR) programs. The three programs managed under Express Entry are:
- The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
- The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
- The CEC
Notably, IRCC has issued ITAs to immigration candidates through three different draw types as of June 2023. These three draw types are:
- General draws
- Program-specific draws
- Category-based draws
The remainder of this article will describe the difference between these draw types.
General and Program-specific Express Entry Draws
On one hand, general and program-specific draws can be grouped together even though general draws target candidates from all programs and program-specific draws are more narrow. This is because both of these draw types focus on Canadian immigration candidates who have the highest CRS scores.
Note: CRS scores are what IRCC uses to rank Express Entry candidates against each other based on scores decided using values for each candidate's human capital. Some of the factors that determine a candidate's CRS score are their age, education, and work experience (among others).
The following is a brief summary of the steps involved with obtaining an ITA as an Express Entry candidate who is eligible for general and program-specific draws:
- Confirm eligibility for at least one of the three programs managed by the Express Entry application management system
- Create your online IRCC profile with IRCC and receive your official CRS score
- Wait for IRCC to issue ITAs in its next round of invitations to see if you will receive an ITA
Note: It is important to understand that, in order to receive an ITA during an Express Entry draw, your individual CRS score must be higher than the department's cut-off for that specific draw. ITAs are also the only way you, as an Express Entry candidate, will be allowed to submit an electronic Application for Permanent Residence (eAPR) to IRCC.
Category-Based Express Entry Draws
After introducing category-based draws in May 2023, IRCC confirmed this past February that it will be using the same six target categories for this draw type throughout 2024.
Note: This draw type was introduced to allow IRCC a pathway to welcome immigration candidates with specific types of work experience and proficiencies. The chosen work experience and proficiency categories, outlined below, were decided on based on what the government saw as Canada's most pressing labour market needs and demographic gaps.
In 2024, IRCC has chosen to focus on candidates with:
- Healthcare work experience
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) work experience
- Trades industry work experience
- Transport industry work experience
- Agriculture and Agri-Food industry work experience
- Strong French language proficiency
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