Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s Recent Round of Invitations
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have recently issued invitations to apply (ITAs) in its latest Express Entry draw.
In this draw, the department extended invitations to 5,000 candidates under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program exclusively. To qualify, candidates needed to have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 510.
July: A Busy Month for Express Entry Draws
This latest draw marks the ninth one conducted in a particularly active month for Express Entry. Throughout July, IRCC has issued a total of 25,125 ITAs. The draws this month have alternated between program-specific draws like the CEC and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and category-based selection draws.
In category-based draws, a significant portion of ITAs was awarded to candidates demonstrating French language proficiency, with 5,000 ITAs issued over two draws. Additionally, on July 5, IRCC issued 3,750 ITAs to healthcare candidates and on July 4, 1,800 ITAs were given to those in trade occupations.
High Volume of Program-Specific ITAs
Program-specific draws have also seen high volumes of ITAs. By July 31, IRCC has invited 11,300 Canadian Experience Class candidates and 3,275 Provincial Nominee Program candidates. Many candidates in these programs already live and work in Canada as temporary residents. The return to program-specific draws on May 30 aligns with IRCC’s goal to focus more on domestic candidates as previously announced.
Earlier this year in March, IRCC set a new target aimed at reducing and stabilizing the number of temporary residents while achieving permanent resident goals laid out in the Immigration Levels Plan.
Express Entry draw results in 2024
| Date | Draw Type | Number of ITAs | Minimum CRS |
| July 31 | Canadian Experience Class | 5,000 | 510 |
| July 30 | Provincial Nominee Program | 964 | 686 |
| July 18 | French language proficiency | 1,800 | 400 |
| July 17 | Canadian Experience Class | 6,300 | 515 |
| July 16 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,391 | 670 |
| July 8 | French proficiency | 3,200 | 420 |
| July 5 | Healthcare occupations | 3,750 | 445 |
| July 4 | Trade occupations | 1,800 | 436 |
| July 2 | Provincial Nominee Program | 920 | 739 |
| June 19 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,499 | 663 |
| May 31 | Canadian Experience Class | 3,000 | 522 |
| May 30 | Provincial Nominee Program | 2,985 | 676 |
| April 24 | French proficiency | 1,400 | 410 |
| April 23 | General | 2,095 | 529 |
| April 11 | STEM occupations | 4,500 | 491 |
| April 10 | General | 1,280 | 549 |
| March 26 | French language proficiency | 1,500 | 388 |
| March 25 | General | 1,980 | 524 |
| March 13 | Transport occupations | 975 | 430 |
| March 12 | General | 2,850 | 525 |
| February 29 | French language proficiency | 2,500 | 336 |
| February 28 | General | 1,470 | 534 |
| February 16 | Agriculture and agri-food occupations | 150 | 437 |
| February 14 | Healthcare occupations | 3,500 | 422 |
| February 13 | General | 1,490 | 535 |
| February 1 | French language proficiency | 7,000 | 365 |
| January 31 | General | 730 | 541 |
| January 23 | General | 1,040 | 543 |
| January 10 | General | 1,510 | 546 |
Express Entry
Express Entry serves as an application management system for some of Canada’s most important economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
These programs use the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to evaluate candidates based on factors such as age, education, occupation, language abilities, and work experience. Each factor is assigned a score that contributes to a candidate’s overall CRS score. Higher scores indicate a greater likelihood of contributing positively to Canada’s workforce and demographics.
The Express Entry system is designed for speedy processing of applications from high-skilled candidates. Typically, the processing time for Express Entry applications is six months
Category-Based Selection in Canada
To better target candidates with specific skills or attributes that are in demand, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced category-based selection draws in May 2023. The categories were determined through consultations with both external and internal stakeholders. The selected categories include:
- Healthcare Occupations
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Professions
- Trades Occupations (such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors)
- Transport Occupations
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Occupations
- French-Language Proficiency
These categories are set to remain effective through the end of 2024, though they may be subject to change in the following year.
