July continues to be a busy month for Canada's Express Entry system, with both all-program and category specific draws continuing through the month.

The immigration department held another Express Entry draw on July 12th, inviting 3800 candidates with French language proficiency in a category-based selection draw. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score for candidates invited in this draw was 375.

July 11th saw the continuation of all-program Express Entry draws, as Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 800 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates with a minimum CRS score of 505.

In addition, IRCC is expected to hold more targeted draws this week, in continuation of a new policy of category based draws that will look to address Canada's economic, cultural, and demographic needs. IRCC has already begun to implement these changes, holding specific draws for healthcare workers and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professionals already since the end of June. 

These chosen categories include:

• Healthcare workers;
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professionals;
• Trades such as Carpenters, Plumbers, and Contractors;
• Transportation workers;
• Agriculture and Agri-food workers; and
• Candidates with strong French language proficiency.

What kind of Express Entry draws will Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conduct?

IRCC carries out several types of Express Entry draws throughout the year.

1. All-program Invitations: This is when the IRCC invites the highest-ranking candidates who are eligible for any of the three Express Entry programs.

2. Program-Specific Rounds of Invitations: Here, the IRCC invites the highest-ranking candidates who are specifically eligible for a particular Express Entry program. For instance, a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) focused draw will only invite eligible PNP candidates.

3. Category-Based Rounds of Invitations: For these rounds, a specific category is established by the Minister to cater to a particular economic goal. Candidates who rank highest and are eligible for this category are invited. These category-based rounds augment general and program-specific rounds by inviting top-ranking candidates who can help achieve specific economic goals. 

Candidates should note that they need to be eligible for one of the three Express Entry programs is required for candidates to be included in the pool.

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