IRCC Invites 5,900 Candidates In Third Express Entry Draw Of The Week

The third Express Entry draw of the week has been held by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

In a category-based selection draw, the department issued 5,900 invitations to apply (ITAs) to candidates with professional experience in STEM-related professions.

To be considered, candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 481.

The draw for today is the third of the week. IRCC invited 1,000 candidates with a CRS of 470 in a targeted draw for individuals with French proficiency yesterday, December 7th. The day before (Dec. 6th), an all-program draw was held for 4,750 candidates with a CRS score of 561.

The Express Entry draws this week were the first in more than a month. Prior to this, on October 26, 3,600 candidates with a CRS score of 431 were invited to a category-based selection draw for healthcare occupations.

Candidates who received ITAs in recent draws were unable to upload their final application to the Express Entry profile builder on November 14, according to IRCC. A follow-up tweet two days later stated that the issue had been resolved, but no reason for the longer pause was given.

What is the definition of category-based selection?

IRCC announced in May of this year that it would begin holding category-based Express Entry rounds of invitations.

These draws seek Express Entry candidates who meet specific criteria, such as French language proficiency or work experience in one of five occupations:

Healthcare;
STEM professions;
Trades;
Transport;
Agriculture and agri-food

These are all occupations where skilled workers are in short supply. The shortages are putting a strain on the Canadian economy as well as other critical sectors such as the healthcare system and supply chain.

According to Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, admitting more skilled workers is critical to addressing these shortages, especially given that up to nine million Canadians are expected to retire by 2030. According to the current Immigration Levels Plan for 2023-2025, 114,000 Federal High Skilled (Express Entry) immigrants will be admitted to Canada each year by the end of 2025. On or before November 1st, a new Levels Plan is expected.

Despite these lofty goals, it was noted at a recent meeting of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration that there has been a slowdown in the number of Express Entry draws since Minister Miller took office.

According to Deputy Immigration Minister Christiane Fox, when the new categories were introduced, an IT glitch forced the department to reduce the number of draws, and the department will make up the numbers as time goes on.

The Deputy Minister also stated that by December of this year, a category-based draw for skilled trades professionals will take place.

Since the first category-based draw in June, Canada has held 12 category-based selection draws, totaling over 11,000 ITAs. All of the applicants were already in the Express Entry pool.

#Category-based selection draw

#CRS