IRCC's 3rd Express Entry Draw invites 1,000 French-speaking candidates

It is a big week for Canada's Express Entry system, as three draws have occurred. The previous rounds had two draws—one on November 10 for 1,613 candidates with Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nominations that set the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score at 743, and the other on October 9 inviting Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates and requiring a minimum CRS of 539.

Before that, the previous draw was held on September 19 to invite only the CEC-targeted 4,000 candidates. The draw presented the lowest-ever CRS score requirement of 472. However, more CEC draws followed afterwards, where a minimum score of 509 had the same or better rank than earlier on August 27.

The selection pool, which resulted in a nomination draw last week, was unique due to the fact that it was not used in the previous six weeks, since the July 5th healthcare focus exclusion of all categories except French language proficiency, and provided relief from a recent trend of limiting invitation rounds by category.

On the other hand, CEC draws have increased in frequency during the summer months. Following this strategic theme of IRCC to hold more "domestic" draws and bring the Canadian resident population up and down the temporary resident count, 21,800 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) have been made with CEC candidates since July by IRCC. This approach is intended to help IRCC reach its annual immigration goals.

This is the third draw of October. In October 2019, IRCC held four draws solely in that month and invited 9,173 people.

Understanding Express Entry

Express Entry was created in 2015 and is an application management system that allows IRCC to select candidates based on their capacity in the Canada Labor Market. It processes applications for three programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the CEC.

The CRS is also used to assess candidates in the Express Entry pool, considering their age, work experience, language ability, education level, and occupation. You can also earn extra points for things like having a sibling in Canada, a spouse or partner operating as one of your dependents, and experience working or studying in Canada.

Candidates in the pool with higher CRS scores have a greater chance of being invited to apply in future draws, but the score required depends on how many achievements each draw has.

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Category-Based Selection

Example draws for category-based selections are generally at the lower end of CRS cut-offs, introduced in May 2023. The draws target various areas, such as healthcare, STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), trades, transport, agriculture, and agri-food levelling, where there are urgent workforce or demographic needs. These categories were selected after consultations and are geared to the department's goal of landing 6 per cent of newcomers in French-minority communities beyond Quebec.

Virtual draws that give candidates eligibility in any one of the 100 Federal Skilled Worker Class categories are held more frequently and require a lower CRS score to be selected. However, candidates must still boost their CRS scores as much as possible to increase their chances of being selected. 

A quick look back on Express Entry draw results in 2024 

Also Read: Latest Eligibility for Canada PR from India: Experts Guide

Conclusion

Canada's Express Entry system is constantly changing and growing to accommodate the country's economic requirements. The third draw this week was one of a number of recent draws that show that IRCC is finally responding to demands from businesses, experts, and other stakeholders for the immigration system to focus on more than just Express Entry. Key takeaways include:

• More of the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws
• Continued focus on fluency in the French language
• Use of category-based selections as needed to target labour market deficits
• CRS score requirements for the various types of Express Entry draws fluctuate.

From 2024 onwards, aspiring immigrants should take note of these trends and further enhance their CRS scores in order to increase their chances of being invited to apply. The Express Entry system, a remarkably popular and innovative initiative by Canadian authorities, is still moving ahead and playing its part in Canada's economic immigration policy, where it serves its dynamic national labour market demands in coherence with broader economic goals.

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