Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued invitations in the first Express Entry draw of the year.
The department invited 1,510 candidates to apply under the general draw.
They needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 546.
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A general draw considers candidates from all Express Entry managed programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). No occupations or other human capital characteristics are targeted.
The four most recent draws took place between December 18 and 21. The all-program draw on December 18 invited 1,325 candidates with a minimum CRS of 524.
The remaining three draws were for candidates who meet the criteria for category-based selection in one of the six possible categories. The December 19 draw invited 1,000 candidates to a category-based draw for trade occupations with a minimum CRS of 425 and the December 20 draw invited 670 candidates to transport occupations. Candidates needed a CRS score of at least 435.
400 candidates received ITA in agriculture and agri-food occupations on December 21. They needed a minimum CRS score of 386.
IRCC also held three draws between December 6-8. The December 6 draw was for all programs, the December 7 draw was for candidates who were eligible under the French language proficiency category and the December 8 draw invited candidates in STEM occupations.
In total, there were seven Express Entry draws in December. This is the most Express Entry draws in a single month for 2023. This was followed by a six-week pause that ran from October 26 to the December 6 draw. IRCC did not confirm the reason for the pause.
Summary of Express Entry draws from June 2023 till now
| date | Draw Type | Number of ITAs | Minimum CRS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 December | business Business | 1,000 | 425 |
| 18 December | All programs | 1,325 | 542 |
| 8 December | STEM Professions | 5,900 | 481 |
| 7 December | French Language Proficiency | 1,000 | 470 |
| 6 December | All programs | 4,750 | 561 |
| 26 October | Healthcare Business | 3,600 | 431 |
| 25 October | French Language Proficiency | 300 | 486 |
| 24 October | PNP Only | 1,548 | 776 |
| 10 October | All programs | 3,725 | 500 |
| 28 September | Agriculture and Agri-Food Business | 600 | 354 |
| 27 September | French Language Proficiency | 500 | 472 |
| 26 September | All programs | 3,000 | 504 |
| 20 September | Transportation Business | 1,000 | 435 |
| 19 September | All programs | 3,200 | 531 |
| August 15 | All programs | 4,300 | 496 |
| 3 August | business Business | 1,500 | 388 |
| 2 August | French Language Proficiency | 800 | 435 |
| 1st August | All programs | 2,000 | 517 |
| 12th July | French Language Proficiency | 3,800 | 375 |
| 11 July | All programs | 800 | 505 |
| 7 July | French Language Proficiency | 2,300 | 439 |
| 6 July | Healthcare Business | 1500 | 463 |
| 5th July | STEM Professions | 500 | 486 |
| July 4th | All programs | 700 | 511 |
| 28 June | Healthcare Business | 500 | 476 |
| 27 June | All programs | 4,300 | 486 |
| 8 June | All programs | 4,800 | 486 |
What will Express Entry be like in 2024?
The Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026 shows that Canada will accept 110,000 new permanent residents through Express Entry in 2024.
This is a jump from the 82,880 Express Entry candidates targeted by IRCC in 2023. Still, the higher target doesn’t mean all candidates invited in 2024 will get admission before the end of the year. Some, particularly those invited at the end of the year, will arrive in 2025. This is because IRCC has a six-month service standard for issuing final decisions on Express Entry applications for permanent residence.
IRCC issued over 100,000 ITAs to Express Entry candidates in 2023.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is an application management system that oversees the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
All three of these economic immigration programs use a comprehensive ranking system to assign scores to candidates based on their human capital attributes. This includes factors such as language ability, education, work experience, occupation and age. Each attribute is given a score and candidates are ranked against each other.
Express Entry candidates in any of the three programs can obtain an ITA in a category-based selection draw that targets a specific specialty. This type of draw was introduced in May 2023 and includes six categories:
- Health care;
- STEM occupations;
- Trades;
- transportation;
- Agriculture and agri-food; and
- Proficiency in French Language
No matter the program or type of draw, people with the highest CRS scores are most likely to receive an ITA in an upcoming Express Entry draw.
Get a free Express Entry assessment