Today, IRCC issued 1,548 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in a draw exclusive to Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applicants. Today’s draw saw ITAs issued to eligible candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 776. Today’s draw marks IRCC’s fifth PNP-only draw of 2023, and Canada’s first since May 10, 2023.
Express Entry
Canada’s federal government uses an application management system, which they have called the Express Entry system, to jointly manage immigration applications for three programs – the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). All three of these programs are under the “economic immigration” umbrella of Canada’s immigration system.
Under this application management system, Canada operates two different kinds of Express Entry draws.
The first of which, for lack of a better word, is called a standard Express Entry draw. In place since the inception of Express Entry in 2015, the process for these draws begins when a candidate who is eligible for one of the three programs within this system enters themselves into the Express Entry pool. At this time, each candidate in the pool is given a CRS score. These scores are then used to rank candidates against each other, after which a number of candidates with CRS scores above the cut-off score for a particular Express Entry draw will receive an ITA for permanent residence in Canada.
Note: CRS scores are based on various human capital factors (including work experience, professional fields, language skills, education, and age) that have all been assigned an objective value by IRCC
The other type of Express Entry draw employs a category-based selection system, designed to help IRCC welcome more immigration candidates who have specific traits (specifically work experience or proficiencies) that can help this country address particular labour market gaps.
In 2023, IRCC is using category-based draws to prioritize Express Entry candidates with the following attributes:
- French-language proficiency or
Recent work experience in an occupation that falls under one of the following categories:
• Healthcare
• STEM professions
• Trades
• Transport
• Agriculture and agri-food
Complete our FREE Assessment form to see if you are eligible to immigrate to Canada
