Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has recently conducted an Express Entry draw, issuing a total of 400 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program.
The draw is the second draw of November, following the release of Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan for 2025. According to the Plan, IRCC intends to invite a total of 124,680 Express Entry candidates in the upcoming year. Those who received an ITA today will be considered in next year's admissions targets under the In-Canada Focus or Federal Economic Priorities categories.
To be eligible to receive invitation, candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 547, which marks the highest CRS threshold for CEC draws this year. In the previous draw that was held on November 12, a total of 733 candidates were invited under Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) draw.
The In-Canada Focus target of 82,980 admissions will mainly affect temporary residents in Canada, making up 40% of economic immigration for 2025. Many of these applicants will come from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Meanwhile, the Federal Economic Priorities target of 41,700 admissions will focus on candidates to address labor shortages in healthcare and trade, and to increase French language proficiency outside Quebec.
A chart depicting the CRS cut-off scores for the last 10 EE draws
Source: Owlspriority Immigration internal, IRCC
Chart Analysis:
The chart illustrates a noticeable pattern in the recent Express Entry draws conducted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and this trend has been received with enthusiasm. There has been a decrease in the cut-off Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, in each separate category, resulting in a higher number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) being issued to eligible candidates. This adjustment has been made to ensure that IRCC achieves its multi-year immigration target for 2024-26, aiming to welcome over 485,000 new immigrants by the end of 2024.
Express Entry is an electronic selection system used by the Federal as well as Provincial governments of Canada [to select], as well as designated Canadian employers [to nominate] candidates for Canadian permanent residence under three of its popular economic [skilled] immigration programs. Candidates eligible for any of the above programs are given a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score in the Express Entry Pool. It is based on their Core/Human capital factors such as age, work experience, education, and language ability in English and/or French, etc. And, based on scores, candidates are periodically invited (or nominated) for permanent residence.
Category-based selection in Express Entry refers to the practice of holding rounds of invitations that specifically target candidates with certain attributes or qualifications. These attributes could include proficiency in French language or work experience in specific occupations facing shortages. In the context mentioned, the categories include:
French-language proficiency: candidates demonstrating proficiency in the French language.
Occupation-specific draws: candidates with work experience in the below five key occupations facing shortages:
The rationale behind category-based EE Selection is to address labour shortages in critical sectors of the Canadian economy. Canada aims to welcome more skilled workers to alleviate these shortages, especially considering the anticipated retirement of up to nine million Canadians by 2030. The Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, emphasizes the importance of skilled immigration in eliminating these shortages.
Check if you qualify for Express Entry. Check out our Settlement Resources to learn how to find employment in Canada, making your initial days stress-free, etc.
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