Vimal Sivakumar - 31 May, 2023
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced that Canada will soon be conducting Express Entry draws targeting candidates in six new categories.
In a move that will mirror Canada’s existing program-specific draws under the Express Entry application management system, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has announced the launch of category-based selection draws.
These draws, which are expected to begin later this summer, will allow Canada to invite skilled workers to this country with work experience in our most in-demand professions.
Fraser hopes that these new targeted draws will support Canada’s commitment to welcoming in-demand professionals into communities across the country.
IRCC’s six new groups for Express Entry category draws include candidates with:
Important: To be eligible for one of IRCC’s occupation-based category draws (see the category list below), Express Entry candidates must have at least six months of consecutive work experience in one of the eligible industries over the last three years. This work experience can be in Canada or abroad. Candidates that hope to be eligible for category-based draws under the French language proficiency category have a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities on the Niveaux de Compétence Linguistique Canadiens.
A full list of eligible occupations under the new categories is available here.
How were these six categories chosen?
These six specific categories were chosen "following legislative requirements that [Fraser] participate in public consultation with provinces and territories, members of industry, unions, employers, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organizations, and immigration researchers and practitioners."
As part of these new category-based draws, IRCC will report to Parliament on the following subjects every year:
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is Canada's top federal immigration method, designed to help the government bring skilled workers to this country from abroad. The Express Entry application management system manages immigration applications from three programs - the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
Until now, the primary selection criteria for candidates who received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence (PR) to Canada was their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. With these draws, the new categories will take precedence over CRS scores, but Canada will continue to conduct general and program-specific draws as well.
