Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in its first draw of the week. This draw is the third in December month, following a Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) draw that was conducted on December 2 and a category-based draw for French-speaking candidates on December 3. To be eligible, candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 727. A total of 1,085 ITAs were issued in this draw.
This month’s Express Entry draws follow a pattern of alternating between PNP, CEC, and French language proficiency candidates. Last month, through 6 distinct draws, IRCC issued a total of 5,507 ITAs. The trend is expected to continue with the new "In-Canada" focus category in the Immigration Levels Plan 2025-27, targeting CEC and regional program candidates, and possibly FSWP and FSTP applicants. This category has been allocated 82,980 PR admissions in 2025, making up over 40% of the total admissions.
A chart depicting the CRS cut-off scores for the last 10 EE draws
Source: Owlspriority Immigration internal, IRCC
Chart Analysis:
The latest round, which issued 1,085 PNP invitations, is the largest PNP-specific draw in the past two months, following smaller draws like the one on December 2, 2024, where 676 ITAs were issued. Despite the higher number of invitations this time, the CRS cut-off score increased from 705 on December 2 to 727, reflecting heightened competition within the PNP pool. With this draw, 2024 now sees a total of 14 PNP-specific Express Entry draws, with 15,483 invitations issued so far.
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 is a new approach that targets specific groups of candidates based on their attributes or qualifications. This allows for rounds of invitations to focus on particular categories, such as proficiency in the French language or work experience in occupations experiencing shortages.
ü Healthcare
ü STEM Professions (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
ü Trades
ü Transport
ü Agriculture and Agri-food
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.
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.