Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in the latest Express Entry draw.
A total of 763 ITAs candidates were invited in a category-based selection draw focused on French language proficiency.
To qualify, candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 690.
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This is the third draw this week, following a program-specific draw on August 14 that invited 3,200 Canadian Experience Class candidates.
On August 13, 763 Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates received ITAs, requiring a minimum CRS score of 690.
These draws come on the heels of an extraordinary July, where IRCC held nine separate Express Entry draws and issued over 25,000 ITAs.
July set a record for the highest number of Express Entry draws in a single month since the system’s launch in 2015, a sharp rebound from a slow June, which saw just one draw.
Four of the July draws were category-based, with two specifically targeting candidates with French language proficiency. The July 18 draw for this category had the lowest CRS score of the month at 400.
The remaining category-based draws focused on candidates in healthcare and skilled trades occupations.
Of the remaining five draws, two were program-specific for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and three targeted candidates in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The highest CRS score of the month was for PNP candidates on July 2, at 739.
The increase in program-specific draws, after a year focused solely on category-based and general draws, demonstrates IRCC’s commitment to its goal of conducting more domestic draws for permanent residency candidates already residing in Canada. This aligns with the department’s objective to decrease the number of temporary residents while meeting its targets for permanent resident admissions.
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What is Category-Based Selection?
Category-based selection rounds were introduced in May 2023 to enable IRCC to better target Express Entry candidates who can address urgent workforce needs or help meet specific demographic goals.
IRCC established the six categories after extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders. The categories are:
- Healthcare occupations
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
- Skilled trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
- Transport occupations
- Agriculture and agri-food occupations
- French-language proficiency
The recently released Express Entry year-end report for 2023 revealed that STEM candidates received the most ITAs during the year (32,111), followed by French-language candidates (15,812).
However, an Access to Information Request shared with CIC News earlier this year suggests that French-speaking candidates are expected to receive the highest number of ITAs in 2024.
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