Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has extended invitations to apply (ITAs) in the latest Express Entry draw.
A total of 1,613 ITAs were issued exclusively to candidates with a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nomination.
To be eligible, candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 743.
The most recent draw prior to today took place on September 19, inviting 4,000 candidates from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) stream only. These candidates needed a minimum CRS score of 509, which was a slight increase from the previous CEC draw on August 27, where the cutoff was 507.
CEC draws have become more frequent over the summer, with IRCC issuing a total of 21,800 ITAs to CEC candidates since July. This aligns with IRCC’s goal to prioritize "domestic" draws and reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada. The strategy also supports the department’s efforts to meet its annual permanent resident targets.
Today’s draw marks the first of the month. Last October, IRCC conducted four draws, inviting a total of 9,173 candidates.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is an application management system launched in 2015 by IRCC to help select economic immigration candidates who can fill critical gaps in the Canadian labor market. It manages applications for three immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
Candidates applying under any of these programs are evaluated using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which scores applicants based on human capital factors such as work experience, age, language ability, education, and occupation. Additional points can be earned for factors like having a spouse or partner, having a sibling in Canada, or having work experience or education in Canada.
Each factor contributes points to a candidate’s overall Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, and the higher the score, the greater the likelihood of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in an upcoming Express Entry draw, depending on the type of draw.
Category-Based Selection
CRS scores tend to be lower on average in category-based selection draws, which were introduced by IRCC in May 2023. These draws are designed to address urgent workforce or demographic needs. There are six categories for these selections:
Healthcare
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professions
Trades
Transport
Agriculture and Agri-Food
French language proficiency
IRCC selected these categories after extensive consultations with stakeholders and an analysis of labor market conditions, as well as considering the department’s goal to admit 6% of newcomers into French-speaking communities outside of Quebec.
While the CRS cut-off scores in these draws are often lower than those in program-specific or general draws, candidates must still be in the Express Entry pool, and having a higher CRS score can be an advantage.
Summary of Express Entry Draw Results in 2024
Date | Draw Type | Number of ITAs | Minimum CRS |
October 7 | Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 1,613 | 743 |
September 19 | Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 4,000 | 509 |
September 13 | French Language Proficiency | 1,000 | 446 |
September 9 | Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 911 | 732 |
August 27 | Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 3,300 | 507 |
August 26 | Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 1,121 | 694 |
August 15 | French Language Proficiency | 2,000 | 394 |
August 14 | Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 3,200 | 509 |
August 13 | Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 763 | 690 |
July 31 | Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 5,000 | 510 |
July 30 | Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 964 | 686 |
July 18 | French Language Proficiency | 1,800 | 400 |
July 17 | Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 6,300 | 515 |
July 16 | Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 1,391 | 670 |
July 8 | French Language Proficiency | 3,200 | 420 |
July 5 | Healthcare Occupations | 3,750 | 445 |
July 4 | Trade Occupations | 1,800 | 436 |
July 2 | Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 920 | 739 |
June 19 | Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 1,499 | 663 |
May 31 | Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 3,000 | 522 |
May 30 | Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 2,985 | 676 |
April 24 | French Language Proficiency | 1,400 | 410 |
April 23 | General | 2,095 | 529 |
April 11 | STEM Occupations | 4,500 | 491 |
April 10 | General | 1,280 | 549 |
March 26 | French Language Proficiency | 1,500 | 388 |
March 25 | General | 1,980 | 524 |
March 13 | Transport Occupations | 975 | 430 |
March 12 | General | 2,850 | 525 |
February 29 | French Language Proficiency | 2,500 | 336 |
February 28 | General | 1,470 | 534 |
February 16 | Agriculture and Agri-Food | 150 | 437 |
February 14 | Healthcare Occupations | 3,500 | 422 |
February 13 | General | 1,490 | 535 |
February 1 | French Language Proficiency | 7,000 | 365 |
January 31 | General | 730 | 541 |
January 23 | General | 1,040 | 543 |
January 10 | General | 1,510 | 546 |
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