For the third day in a row, IRCC has invited Express Entry candidates.
Candidates who are qualified for category-based selection in healthcare jobs received invitations today. A total of 1,500 people were invited. A minimum CRS score of 463 was required for candidates. This is the lowest CRS score of any Express Entry round awarded in 2023.
This is an ongoing narrative. CIC News will keep you updated when IRCC releases more Express Entry results today.
The healthcare category draw was expected after IRCC stated last week that it will send out invitations to 1,500 healthcare workers this week. This came after the first-ever category-based draw on June 28, in which 500 healthcare employees with a CRS of 476 or above were awarded ITAs.
On July 5, the first-ever invitations to candidates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions were issued. 500 STEM candidates with a minimum CRS score of 486 obtained ITAs in yesterday's round of invites.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) also invited 700 candidates in an all-program draw on July 4 with a minimum CRS score of 511. Express Entry evaluates candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program in an all-program draw.
Occupations in healthcare for category-based selection:
Healthcare occupations have the most eligible occupations among the six new categories, with 35 in total:
Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
Chiropractors
Dentists
Dieticians and nutritionists
Education counselors
General practitioners and family physicians
Instructors of persons with disabilities
Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
Licensed practical nurses
Massage therapists
Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
Medical laboratory technologists
Medical radiation technologists
Medical sonographers
Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
Nurse practitioners
Nursing coordinators and supervisors
Occupational therapists
Optometrists
Other assisting occupations in support of health services
Other practitioners of natural healing
Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
Paramedical occupations
Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
Physician assistants, midwives, and allied health professionals
Physiotherapists
Psychologists
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
Respiratory therapists, clinical percussionists, and cardiopulmonary technologists
Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
Specialists in surgery
Therapists in counseling and related specialized therapies
Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
Veterinarians
Immigrants account for 23% of registered nurses, 36% of registered physicians, and 54% of dental technologists in Canada. Canada relies on immigration to meet critical labor-force deficits. According to Statistics Canada's most recent job vacancy data, there were 153,000 open positions in health care and social assistance in April 2023. This is the most vacancies across all employment sectors.
Draws based on categories:
On May 31, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser, stated that additional categories for new category-based Express Entry drawings had been completed.
Following a modification to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in June 2022, the statement was expected. The amendment empowers Canada's immigration minister to pick economic immigration candidates who possess important characteristics that match Canada's economic aims or the minister's responsibility to promote the French language outside of Quebec.
The following are the new categories:
Healthcare
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
Transport
Agriculture and agri-food
Strong French-language proficiency
The categories were determined using employment market estimates and conversations with IRCC partners and stakeholders, as well as provincial and territorial governments.