1,800 candidates invited to the third IRCC Express Entry draw

1,800 candidates invited to the third edition of IRCC Express Entry Raffle this week. Francophone candidates were the main focus of this category-based selection process. Candidates needed a minimum score of 400 on the CRS to be considered.

In addition, the current minimum CRS score required for an Express Entry draw is among the lowest this year. In a program-specific draw held yesterday, 6,300 candidates in the Canadian Experience Class were invited, with the lowest score of any non-category-based selection draw: 515.

Earlier this week, IRCC held a Provincial Nomination Program The draw was held only for the PNP, where 1,391 applicants with a minimum CRS score of 670 were invited. On July 8, a category-based selection draw invited 3,200 candidates for French proficiency.

PNP-only Express Entry draws typically have higher CRS scores because PNP nominations add an additional 600 CRS points. For example, a Express Entry A candidate with a score of 300 would have a total CRS of 900 if he or she received a PNP nomination.

This month has been the busiest for Express Entry this year, with 19,161 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued by IRCC in seven different draws.

Recent Express Entry draw results

• July 18: The French language proficiency draw issued 1,800 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 400.
• July 17: The Canadian Experience Class draw issued 6,300 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 515.
• July 16: The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw issued 1,391 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 670.
• July 8: The French language skills draw issued 3,200 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 420.
• July 5: The Healthcare Occupations Lottery issued 3,750 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 445.
• July 4: The Business Occupations Lottery issued 1,800 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 436.
• July 2: The PNP draw issued 920 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 739.
• June 19: The PNP draw issued 1,499 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 663.
• May 31: The Canadian Experience Class draw issued 3,000 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 522.
• May 30: The PNP draw issued 2,985 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 676.
• April 24: The French language skills draw issued 1,400 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 410.
• April 23: The general draw issued 2095 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 529.
• April 11: The STEM occupations lottery issued 4,500 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 491.
• April 10: The general draw issued 1,280 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 549.
• March 26: The French language proficiency draw issued 1,500 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 388.
• March 25: The general draw issued 1,980 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 524.
• March 13: The Transportation Occupations Lottery issued 975 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 430.
• March 12: The general draw issued 2,850 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 525.
• February 29: The French language proficiency draw issued 2,500 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 336.
• February 28: The general draw issued 1,470 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 534.
• February 16: The Agricultural and Agri-Food Occupations Lottery issued 150 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 437.
• February 14: The Healthcare Occupations Lottery issued 3,500 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 422.
• February 13: The general draw issued 1,490 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 535.
• February 1: The French language proficiency draw issued 7,000 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 365.
• January 31: The general draw issued 730 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 541.
• January 23: The general draw issued 1,040 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 543.
• January 10: The general draw issued 1,510 ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 546.

Canada Express Entry System: An Overview

Canada’s Express Entry system, launched in January 2015, aims to simplify and streamline the immigration selection process for skilled professionals. This points-based system ranks candidates based on criteria such as education, work experience, language ability and other relevant qualities.

Express Entry includes three federal immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) for persons in professional, managerial, technical or commercial occupations; Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) for people who have worked in a skilled trade for at least two years and need a valid job offer or qualification certificate; and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) for people who have worked in a skilled job in Canada for at least one year and wish to apply.

First, applicants create an online profile with their education history, work history, language skills, and other personal data. Their CRS score is based on a number of characteristics, including age, education, work experience, and fluency in French and English. In addition, they have a maximum score of 1,200 points. Provincial nominations, legitimate job offers, and Canadian qualifications earn additional points. IRCC then invites the highest-ranked applicants from the Express Entry pool to apply for permanent residence.

Additionally, provinces and territories can nominate candidates through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which increases their CRS score by 600 points. Additionally, IRCC conducts category-based draws that focus on a particular language or skill set. In addition, regular draws in 2024 selected thousands of applications for positions in the health industry, PNP, French language proficiency, and the Canadian Experience Class.
This system is essential to Canada’s ability to attract skilled labour, maintain cultural diversity and promote economic expansion.

Overview of selection draws by category

To better identify Express Entry candidates who can fill urgent labour shortages or strengthen particular demographic groups in Canada, IRCC adopted category-based selection in 2023. Additionally, the six categories that make up this approach are: healthcare jobs; STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics); trades (carpenters, plumbers, contractors); transportation; jobs in agriculture and agri-food; and jobs requiring fluency in French. These divisions seek to promote economic expansion by addressing significant labour shortages.