This week, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held its second Express Entry draw.
On September 20, the IRCC invited 1,000 transport workers to apply for permanent residency. To receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 435 was required.
IRCC also offered 3,200 invites to candidates in an all-program draw on September 19. The CRS minimum score was 531.
The first-ever Express Entry lottery for transportation Occupations:
Today's draw was the first-ever category-based selection draw for Express Entry candidates with transportation job experience. Due to a severe labor shortage in this area, IRCC is focusing on transportation vocations.
"The transportation sector is critical to our economy, and if we want to keep things moving, we need to invest in the people who move people and transport goods," says deliver Minister Pablo Rodriguez. “We are addressing a critical skills shortage while also attracting new, talented people to communities across Canada with this new initiative." Truck drivers, pilots, aircraft mechanical engineers, and mariners all play important roles in our economy and in the lives of Canadians. Filling these job openings will enhance economic growth and build stronger, more robust supply chains."
Because of the introduction of category-based invitation rounds, there were more Express Entry draws this summer than in prior years. However, there hasn't been a draw since August 15, when 4,300 candidates received ITAs in an all-program draw. The IRCC has not provided an explanation for the draw stoppage.
Since June 2023, below is a summary of the Express Entry draw results:
What exactly is Express Entry?
Express Entry is a system for managing applications for three of Canada's most popular economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class.
Each Express Entry program has distinct eligibility requirements, but they all employ a Comprehensive Ranking System to analyze and rank candidates. It accomplishes this by awarding ratings to individual human capital criteria such as language ability, age, job experience, occupation, and educational attainment. Those with the highest CRS scores are more likely to be invited to apply for permanent resident status in Canada.
Candidates who have received a provincial nomination for Express Entry are more likely to receive an ITA. This is due to the fact that Express Entry candidates who are also in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) gain an additional 600 CRS points. This is useful because the CRS score for most Express Entry drawings runs from 350 to 550, depending on the program or category.
Selection based on categories:
On May 31, the IRCC announced six new categories that could be eligible for category-based Express Entry drawings. One is for Express Entry candidates with strong French language skills, while the remaining five are for individuals with job experience in one of the following sectors:
• Healthcare;
• STEM professions;
• Trades;
• Transport; and
• Agriculture and agri-food
On June 28, IRCC sent out the first category-based selection invitations to candidates with healthcare experience. Since then, there have been draws for STEM professionals, tradespeople, and those fluent in French.
Candidates who are eligible for an ITA through category-based selection must still be in an Express Entry program, and it is beneficial to have as high a CRS score as feasible because IRCC will still rank candidates against each other.
According to IRCC, the new categories will assist Canada in filling urgent employment gaps in high-demand sectors of the Canadian workforce, thereby strengthening the economy. Following consultations with provincial governments, business associations, and other IRCC partners and stakeholders, the categories were decided.