In the department’s first Express Entry draw since February 1, IRCC issued 1,490 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) this morning in a general/all-program draw for eligible candidates from all three Express Entry-managed programs. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score held by all ITA recipients from today’s draw was 535.
Note: This is a developing story, which will be updated further if IRCC conducts more Express Entry draws this week.
Express Entry
Express Entry is IRCC’s application management system, which the federal government uses to manage immigration applications from three economic-class immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
Standard Express Entry Draws
Before the introduction of a new draw type in May 2023 (more on those later), IRCC only conducted “standard” Express Entry draws. These draws ranked eligible candidates based on their CRS scores, the name given to IRCC’s measure that assigned a number to each Express Entry candidate based on a variety of human capital factors. This score is used, in the context of standard draws, to determine who will receive an ITA in a given Express Entry draw.
Pursuing permanent residence through Express Entry’s standard draws requires candidates to follow these general steps:
- Self-assess eligibility for any of the Express Entry-managed programs: the FSTP, the FSWP and/or the CEC
- If eligible, create an Express Entry profile online with IRCC
- Formally enter the candidate “pool”, at which time candidates will receive their CRS score
- Wait for IRCC’s next Express Entry draw to see if you receive an ITA*
Note: During each draw, ITAs are only given to eligible candidates with CRS scores above the cut-off score for that specific Express Entry draw. It is important to know that ITAs are the only way that Canadian immigration candidates can apply for permanent residence.
Category-Based Express Entry Draws
First conducted in June 2023, IRCC introduced a new type of draw called category-based selection draws in the middle of last year. Category-based draws, rather than prioritizing a candidate’s CRS score, focused on helping the Canadian government address specific labour market challenges by bringing in more foreign skilled workers but focusing on immigration candidates with work experience or proficiencies in certain areas.
In 2023, these six categories have been designated as areas of focus* for IRCC’s category-based draws:
1. Immigration candidates with work experience in:
- Healthcare
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
- Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers and contractors
- Transport
- Agriculture and agri-food
2. Immigration candidates with strong French language proficiency
*IRCC has noted that it is allowing itself the room to conduct an annual review of these categories and adjust accordingly if required.
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