Category-based Express Entry draws: A year in review
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted its first-ever category-based draw on June 28, 2023.
This new draw type was announced in May of last year as a way for Canada’s immigration department to attract skilled newcomers based on specific national labour gaps and demographic challenges.
In other words, IRCC chose to implement this new type of Express Entry draw so that Canada would attract foreign nationals with specific in-demand work experience and proficiencies.
Note: Despite a focus on candidates with certain in-demand attributes, Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores remain a factor for category-based draws.
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Specifically, in 2024, IRCC has chosen to prioritize candidates with the following work experience and language proficiencies through category-based draws:
- Healthcare occupations
- Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) occupations
- Trades occupations
- Transport occupations
- Agriculture and Agri-Food occupations
- French-language proficiency
Draw types, frequency and CRS scores
Since the first category-based draw was conducted nearly one year ago, IRCC has conducted 25 category-based draws.
When separated by category, statistics reveal that CRS cut-off scores varied greatly.
Note: Cut-off scores show the lowest eligible Express Entry profile score among all candidates who received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) during a given Express Entry draw. These scores are important because candidates without a CRS score above the determined cut-off will not be eligible for an ITA during that specific draw.
| Date of Draw | Category | CRS Cut-Off Score | Number of ITAs Issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 28, 2023 | Healthcare | 476 | 500 |
| July 5, 2023 | STEM | 486 | 500 |
| July 6, 2023 | Healthcare | 463 | 1,500 |
| July 7, 2023 | French | 439 | 2,300 |
| July 12, 2023 | French | 375 | 3,800 |
| August 2, 2023 | French | 435 | 800 |
| August 3, 2023 | Trades | 388 | 1,500 |
| September 20, 2023 | Transport | 435 | 1,000 |
| September 27, 2023 | French | 472 | 500 |
| September 28, 2023 | Agriculture and Agri-Food | 354 | 600 |
| October 25, 2023 | French | 486 | 300 |
| October 26, 2023 | Healthcare | 431 | 3,600 |
| December 7, 2023 | French | 470 | 1,000 |
| December 8, 2023 | STEM | 481 | 5,900 |
| December 19, 2023 | Trades | 425 | 1,000 |
| December 20, 2023 | Transport | 435 | 670 |
| December 21, 2023 | Agriculture and Agri-Food | 386 | 400 |
| February 1, 2024 | French | 365 | 7,000 |
| February 14, 2024 | Healthcare | 422 | 3,500 |
| February 16, 2024 | Agriculture and Agri-Food | 437 | 150 |
| February 29, 2024 | French | 336 | 2,500 |
| March 13, 2024 | Transport | 430 | 975 |
| March 26, 2024 | French | 338 | 1,500 |
| April 11, 2024 | STEM | 491 | 4,500 |
| April 24, 2024 | French | 410 | 1,400 |
Total ITAs issued
While IRCC chose all six of these categories as priorities for this new draw type, the number of ITAs issued to candidates in each category also varied greatly in the last year.
Healthcare: 9,100 ITAs
STEM: 10,900 ITAs
Trades: 2,500 ITAs
Transport: 2,645 ITAs
Agriculture and Agri-Food: 1,150 ITAs
French-language proficiency: 21,100 ITAs
What’s ahead for the rest of 2024?
In April, CIC News reported that IRCC had already outlined its overall plan for ITA distribution between these six categories for 2024.
To recap, IRCC has noted that, separated by category, this is what percentage of ITAs each category will receive this year.
Healthcare: 15%
STEM: 25%
Trades: 5%
Transport: 3%
Agriculture and Agri-Food: 0.5%
French-language proficiency: 30%
Note: IRCC also indicated that 78.5% of all Express Entry ITAs will be issued to category-based draw candidates while the remaining 21.5% of ITAs will be issued in general draws throughout the year.
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