IRCC issues 1,000 ITAs in third Express Entry draw this week

Edana Robitaille
Updated: Oct, 9, 2024
  • Published: October 7, 2024

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued invitations to apply (ITAs) in the most recent Express Entry draw.

The department issued 1,000  ITAs in a category-based selection draw for French-speaking proficiency.

Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 444 to be considered.

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This was the third Express Entry draw of the week. Earlier  the department invited 1,613 Express Entry candidates with Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nominations. They required a minimum score of 743. A draw also took place on October 9 inviting 500 candidates from the Canadian Experience Class with a minimum score of 539.

Before this week, the most recent draw occurred on September 19 and invited 4,000 candidates from the Canadian Experience Class -only. These candidates needed a minimum CRS score of 509 to be considered, marking a slight increase over the previous CEC draw on August 27 (507).

In recent months, IRCC has reduced the number of category-based selection draws and there hasn't been a category-based selection draw for any category other than French language proficiency since a draw for candidates in healthcare occupations on July 5.

In contrast, Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws have been increasingly common over the summer with IRCC issuing 21,800 ITAs to CEC candidates since July. This is line with IRCC’s stated intention to increase the number of “domestic” draws and reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada. This strategy also aims to help the department meet its permanent resident targets for the year.

Today’s draw is the third of the month. Last year, IRCC held four draws throughout October, inviting 9,173 candidates.

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is an application management system that was launched in 2015 to help IRCC select economic immigration candidates with the capacity to fill urgent labour force gaps.

Candidates who apply to any of the three programs managed by Express Entry (the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the CEC) are evaluated using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

The CRS evaluates candidates based on their human capital factors. These include work experience, age, language ability, education, and occupation. Candidates can also get additional points for immigrating with a spouse or partner, having a sibling in Canada or having work experience or education in Canada.

Each factor adds points to a candidate’s overall score and the higher the score, the more likely it is that the candidates will get an ITA in an upcoming Express Entry draw, depending on the draw type.

Category-based selection

CRS scores tend to be lower on average in category-based selection draws. These are draw types that IRCC introduced in May 2023 to help the department select Express Entry candidates who can fill urgent workforce or demographic gaps. The department has six categories for these draws.

  • Healthcare
  • Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
  • Trades
  • Transport
  • Agriculture and agri-food
  • French language proficiency

IRCC says the categories were selected following in-depth consultations with multiple stakeholders and consulting labour market conditions, as well as considering the department’s target for admitting 6% of all newcomers into French-minority communities outside of Quebec.

While the CRS cut-off scores for these draws are often less those in program specific or general draws, candidates must still have an application in the Express Entry pool and having a high CRS score is an advantage.

Summary of Express Entry draw results in 2024

DateDraw TypeNumber of ITAsMinimum CRS
October 23Trade occupations1.800433
October 22Canadian Experience Class400539
October 21Provincial Nominee Program648791
October 10French language proficiency1,000444
October 9Canadian Experience Class500539
October 7Provincial Nominee Program1,613743
September 19Canadian Experience Class4,000509
September 13 French language proficiency1,000446
September 9Provincial Nominee Program911732
August 27Canadian Experience Class3,300507
August 26Provincial Nominee Program1,121694
August 15French language proficiency2,000394
August 14Canadian Experience Class3,200509
August 13Provincial Nominee Program763690
July 31Canadian Experience Class5,000510
July 30Provincial Nominee Program964686
July 18French language proficiency1,800400
July 17Canadian Experience Class6,300515
July 16Provincial Nominee Program1,391670
July 8French proficiency3,200420
July 5Healthcare occupations3,750445
July 4Trade occupations1,800436
July 2Provincial Nominee Program920739
June 19Provincial Nominee Program1,499663
May 31Canadian Experience Class3,000522
May 30Provincial Nominee Program2,985676
April 24French proficiency1,400410
April 23General2,095529
April 11STEM occupations4,500491
April 10General1,280549
March 26French language proficiency1,500388
March 25General1,980524
March 13Transport occupations975430
March 12General2,850525
February 29French language proficiency2,500336
February 28General1,470534
February 16Agriculture and agri-food occupations150437
February 14Healthcare occupations3,500422
February 13General1,490535
February 1French language proficiency7,000365
January 31General730541
January 23General1,040543
January 10General1,510546

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