Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has invited candidates to apply permanent residence In Second Express Entry Draw of Week.
The department issued 2,500 Invitations of Applications (ITAs). For candidates in the category-based selection draw Strong French Language Proficiency
Candidates were required to achieve a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 336.
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Today’s draw follows the general draw held on February 28, in which 1,410 candidates with a minimum CRS of 534 received an invitation to apply. In the general draw, candidates from all three Express Entry managed programmes are considered.
This week’s results conclude a busy month in February. Excluding today’s draw, 13,610 candidates received ITAs across five draws. Two draws were general and three were category-based selection draws for candidates with strong French proficiency, healthcare occupations, and agriculture and agri-food occupations.
Summary of Results for Express Entry Draws in 2024
| date | Draw Type | Number of ITAs | Minimum CRS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8th July | French Proficiency | 3,200 | 420 |
| 5th July | Healthcare Business | 3,750 | 445 |
| July 4th | business Business | 1,800 | 436 |
| 2 July | Provincial Nominee Program | 920 | 739 |
| 19 June | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,499 | 663 |
| 31st May | Canadian Experience Class | 3,000 | 522 |
| 30th May | Provincial Nominee Program | 2,985 | 676 |
| 24th April | French Proficiency | 1,400 | 410 |
| 23 April | General | 2,095 | 529 |
| 11 April | STEM Professions | 4,500 | 491 |
| 10th April | General | 1,280 | 549 |
| 26 March | French Language Proficiency | 1,500 | 388 |
| 25 March | General | 1,980 | 524 |
| 13 March | Transportation Business | 975 | 430 |
| March 12 | General | 2,850 | 525 |
| 29 February | French Language Proficiency | 2,500 | 336 |
| 28 February | General | 1,470 | 534 |
| 16 February | Agriculture and Agri-Food Business | 150 | 437 |
| February 14 | Healthcare Business | 3,500 | 422 |
| 13 February | General | 1,490 | 535 |
| 1 February | French Language Proficiency | 7,000 | 365 |
| 31 January | General | 730 | 541 |
| 23 January | General | 1,040 | 543 |
| 10 January | General | 1,510 | 546 |
IRCC says there will be no change in category-based selection in 2024
In May 2023, the department launched category-based selection round invitations for candidates who can demonstrate that they meet the criteria for one of six new Express Entry draw categories:
- Healthcare Business
- Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professions
- Trade occupations, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
- Transportation Business
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Business
- Strong French proficiency
At the time of the announcement, the department said it would review these categories and make any changes it deemed necessary. As of February 13, IRCC has confirmed that these categories will not be updated in 2024.
These categories were selected following consultation with IRCC stakeholders such as provincial and territorial governments, settlement services, and Canadian businesses and employers.
Candidates with these attributes must be in the application pool under one of the three Express Entry-managed programs to be considered.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is a management system for immigration applications. The system exists to help speed up the application process for economic immigration candidates in three programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Express Entry uses a comprehensive ranking system to assign scores based on human capital attributes such as occupation, education, language skills, work experience, and age. Candidates with the highest scores are most likely to receive an invitation to apply for PR status.
Candidates who receive a nomination through the Provincial Nomination Program can receive an additional 600 CRS points. This virtually guarantees that they will get an ITA in the upcoming draw.
Once an Express Entry candidate receives an ITA, he or she has 60 days to submit his or her final application to IRCC to obtain Canadian PR.
How many ITAs will be distributed through Express Entry this year?
According to IRCC’s Immigration Levels Plan, the department plans to welcome 110,770 new PRs in 2024 through Express Entry. This represents a significant increase over last year, in which the government targeted 82,880 newcomers for Canadian PR through the same system. In 2025 and 2026, this number is set to stabilize at 117,500.
From 2025, Canada’s allocation for new permanent residents through the PNP will increase to 120,000 – collectively making the provincial route Canada’s main way to welcome new economic immigrants.
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