By admin (August 14, 2024)
IRCC Conducts Latest Express Entry Draw with 763 Invitations
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 763 invitations to apply for permanent residence with the Provincial Nominee Program in which the new tie-breaking rule was introduced. A minimum Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) of score 690 was required to be eligible in this draw. This is the first Express Entry draw of August, after a record-breaking July where IRCC conducted more draws than it ever has in any month, issuing over 25,000 ITAs across nine separate draws.
July 2024 was the most Express Entry draws ever released in a single month, rebounding from just one draw in June. which made it the slowest month of draws in more than three years overall, and more than a year for program specific draws. July saw the release of four category-based draws; two of these were for those with French language ability. The July 18 draw for this category in July saw the lowest score in July (400).
The other 2 draws were category-based draws including candidates in healthcare and trade occupations. There were two program-specific draws for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), three for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. The highest CRS score for the month of July was 739 in the July 2 draw for PNP candidates.
The fact that after mainly category-based and general draws for the earlier year, one is witnessing draws that are more specific to programs, definitely hints at the manner in which IRCC is moving toward realizing that it conducts more draws in Canada. This is in line with its reduction of the temporary resident population, while focusing on reaching the targeted levels of permanent resident admissions.
List of Express Entry Draws Released in 2024
| Date | Draw Type | Number of ITAs | Minimum CRS |
| July 31 | Canadian Experience Class | 5,000 | 510 |
| July 30 | Provincial Nominee Program | 964 | 686 |
| July 18 | French language proficiency | 1,800 | 400 |
| July 17 | Canadian Experience Class | 6,300 | 515 |
| July 16 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,391 | 670 |
| July 8 | French proficiency | 3,200 | 420 |
| July 5 | Healthcare occupations | 3,750 | 445 |
| July 4 | Trade occupations | 1,800 | 436 |
| July 2 | Provincial Nominee Program | 920 | 739 |
| June 19 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,499 | 663 |
| May 31 | Canadian Experience Class | 3,000 | 522 |
| 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 | 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 |
Understanding Express Entry
The Express Entry was launched by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in 2015 for the selection of candidates under economic immigration who are most likely to be successful within the economy and workforce of Canada. It manages applications for three different programs: The Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Applicants are invited for pursuing permanent residency through the mechanism of the Comprehensive Ranking System which is utilized for an evaluation and ranking by considering factors like age, occupation, education, language skills, and work experience. The highest-ranking applicants are invited to apply for permanent residency.
What is Category-Based Selection?
Category-based selection was launched in May 2023, and it enables IRCC to aim its Express Entry pools at candidates who meet particular requirements of the labor market or that support the achievement of demographic goals. Only the scope of the six categories was finally settled on after broad consultations with stakeholders and cover:
- Healthcare occupations
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
- Trades occupations like carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
- Transport occupations
- Agriculture and agri-food occupations
- French-language ability
Recently Express Entry year-end report just released shows the number of ITAs going to STEM candidates, which ranked highest at (32,111) followed by French-language candidates with (15,812). An Access to Information Request shared earlier this year suggests that French-speaking candidates are expected to receive the highest number of ITAs in 2024.