IRCC invites 1,040 Express Entry candidates in latest draw

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued invitations in the latest Express Entry draw.

The department invited 1,040 candidates in a general draw.

Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 543.

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It was the second draw of 2024 following the draw on January 10 which invited 1,510 candidates in a general draw for candidates from all Express Entry managed programs. Candidates needed a minimum CRS score of 546 to be considered.

The latest draws follow a busy December in which IRCC invited candidates in seven separate Express Entry draws throughout the month. Two were all-program draws and the remaining five were category-based selection draws for Express Entry candidates who met the eligibility criteria for French language proficiency as well as trades, transport, STEM, agriculture and agri-food occupations.

Throughout 2023, IRCC held 42 Express Entry draws. The majority (19) were all-program draws (now called general draws). IRCC also invited candidates in 17 category-based selection draws between late June and December. Finally, five draws considered only Express Entry candidates who were nominated through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and one draw for Federal Skilled Worker candidates only.

It is difficult to predict how Express Entry results will shape up throughout 2024. IRCC has moved away from a predictable frequency of draws and there is no way to know what the draw types will be.

However, according to the Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026, the department aims to admit up to 110,770 new permanent residents to Canada in 2024 and will need to issue enough ITAs to also help meet the 2025 admissions target of 117,500. Many of these invitations will be issued in 2024 because it takes IRCC up to six months to process an Express Entry application.

Summary of Express Entry draws in 2024

Date	Draw Type	Number of ITAs	Minimum CRS
December 3	French language proficiency	800	466
December 2	Provincial Nominee Program	676	705
November 20	Healthcare occupations	3,000	463
November 19	Canadian Experience Class	400	539
November 18	Provincial Nominee Program	174	816
November 15	French language proficiency	800	478
November 13	Canadian Experience Class	400	547
November 12	Provincial Nominee Program	733	812
October 23	Trade occupations	1,800	433
October 22	Canadian Experience Class	400	539
October 21	Provincial Nominee Program	648	791
October 10	French language proficiency	1,000	444
October 9	Canadian Experience Class	500	539
October 7	Provincial Nominee Program	1,613	743
September 19	Canadian Experience Class	4,000	509
September 13	French language proficiency	1,000	446
September 9	Provincial Nominee Program	911	732
August 27	Canadian Experience Class	3,300	507
August 26	Provincial Nominee Program	1,121	694
August 15	French language proficiency	2,000	394
August 14	Canadian Experience Class	3,200	509
August 13	Provincial Nominee Program	763	690
July 31	Canadian Experience Class	5,000	510
July 30	Provincial Nominee Program	964	686
July 18	French language proficiency	1,800	400
July 17	Canadian Experience Class	6,300	515
July 16	Provincial Nominee Program	1,391	670
July 8	French proficiency	3,200	420
July 5	Healthcare occupations	3,750	445
July 4	Trade occupations	1,800	436
July 2	Provincial Nominee Program	920	739
June 19	Provincial Nominee Program	1,499	663
May 31	Canadian Experience Class	3,000	522
May 30	Provincial Nominee Program	2,985	676
April 24	French 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 occupations	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

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is an application management system that was established in 2015 to help expedite application processing for economic immigration candidates in the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

It uses the Comprehensive Ranking System to assign scores based on human capital attributes such as occupation, education, language ability, work experience and age. Candidates with the highest scores are the most likely to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent resident status.

In May 2023, the department introduced category-based selection rounds of invitations for candidates who can demonstrate that they met the criteria for one of six new Express Entry draw categories:

• Healthcare occupations
• Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
• Trades occupations, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
• Transport occupations
• Agriculture and agri-food occupations
• Strong French proficiency

Candidates with these attributes must be in the application pool under one of the three Express Entry-managed programs to be considered.

Express Entry candidates who also receive a nomination through the Provincial Nominee Program have the advantage of gaining an additional 600 CRS points. This virtually guarantees that they will get an ITA in an upcoming draw.

Once an Express Entry candidate receives an ITA, they have 60 days to submit their final application for permanent resident status to IRCC.

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