Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in Canada’s latest Express Entry draw.

The department issued 1,499 ITAs in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)-only draw.

Candidates were required to have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 663 to be accepted for consideration.

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This draw follows two draws held on May 30 and 31. They were unique in that they were both event-specific draws. There have been no event-specific draws since the introduction of the category-based selection draw in May 2023.

The May 30 draw considered only candidates who had a provincial nomination through the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP) and the May 31 draw was for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates. These draws issued ITAs to a total of 5,985 Express Entry candidates.

The CEC draw was the first such draw since September 2021. Since many CEC candidates currently live and work in Canada, this draw is in line with Canada’s recent announcement that more domestic draws will be held to convert more temporary residents to permanent residents and reduce the overall level of temporary residents in Canada. This also applies to PNP draws.

Summary of Results for Express Entry Draws in 2024

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is an application management system that oversees Canada’s three most prominent economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

Each of these programs uses the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to evaluate candidates based on human capital factors such as their age, work experience, language skills, occupation and education. This system also considers the inclusion of a spouse or partner in the application.

Each factor is worth a certain number of points and when added together, these points form the candidate’s overall CRS score. Once a candidate has a CRS score, they are ranked against other Express Entry candidates and candidates with the highest scores are most likely to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence in an upcoming Express Entry draw.

The eligibility criteria for the three programmes are different, but the system is the same.

Once a candidate receives an ITA, he or she has 60 days to submit his or her final application for permanent residence to IRCC.

What is range-based selection?

Category-based selection was introduced by IRCC in May 2023 as a means of selecting Express Entry candidates with attributes that will have the most positive impact on Canada’s labour force and economy.

Five of these six categories are occupation-based and one category targets candidates with strong proficiency in the French language. The occupation categories are as follows:

• Healthcare Business
• Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professions
• Trade occupations, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
• Transportation Business
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Business

According to a recent access to information request, this year’s category-based selection draw will have the highest number of candidates in the French proficiency category (30%). Healthcare and STEM occupations will account for 15% and 25% respectively, and the remaining categories will account for 5% or less.

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