French language proficiency will dominate the category-based selection Express Entry draw in 2024, according to a recent Access to Information Request (ATIP).
ATIP, shared with CICNews Data released by Carey Immigration shows that during the draws to be held in 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will issue 78.5% of all Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to Express Entry candidates in category-based selection draws. The remaining 21.5% of ITAs will be issued in general draws.
Candidates eligible for selection through the French proficiency category will get 30% of these seats, followed by STEM occupations with 25% and healthcare with 15%.
The percentage of ITA by category is as follows:
| Round Type | Category Goals |
|---|---|
| French Proficiency | 30% |
| Healthcare Business | 15% |
| STEM Professions | 25% |
| business Business | 5% |
| Transportation Business | 3% |
| Agriculture and Agri-Food Business | 0.5% |
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Category-based selection draws were introduced in May 2023 so that IRCC can target Express Entry candidates with in-demand attributes such as work experience and language skills.
Why does proficiency in French take the lead?
In another ATIP dated April 2023, CICNews, Proficiency in the French language was considered particularly important because according to a 2021 Labour Market Information Council report, employers in Canada were having trouble finding qualified skilled workers to fill vacancies that required being bilingual. In addition, it was found that economic major applicants who spoke French had a higher chance of employment.
This data was supported by a Statistics Canada study released in January, which found that language ability is the biggest deciding factor in an economic immigration candidate’s overall success in the Canadian labour force.
IRCC also says this will also have an impact on public services in Canada, as all Canadians have the right to access these services in any official language (French or English).
According to the 2023 ATIP, when this category was first proposed, IRCC noted that 11% to 15% of candidates invited through category-based selection would be from this category. However, to date, the French proficiency draw has invited the most candidates of any category (17,300 ITAs from July 2023).
The department also said that inviting a higher percentage of French-speaking candidates would help ensure that IRCC can meet its mandated target of 4.4% of all French-speaking newcomers settling outside Quebec in 2023.
The department succeeded. Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in January this year that 4.7% of all newcomers to Quebec are from outside the country. He said the target for 2024 would be raised to 6%.
The same ATIP noted that support for this category was mixed. While 54% of stakeholders supported the category, 42% indicated they felt the category would have no impact or were unsure of the impact. Support was lowest from stakeholders in Alberta and British Columbia. They felt there would be no significant economic impact outside of francophone minority communities.
Other respondents in support of this category said that bilingualism is needed in healthcare, tourism, hospitality and education. They also pointed to non-economic benefits from this category, such as removing barriers for French-speaking minorities to access services in their first language.
When will the draws take place and how big will they be?
According to the 2024 ATIP, IRCC has prepared a schedule for Express Entry draws in 2024. However, most of the details have been omitted. It states that the draws will take place in a way to “provide predictability to provinces and territories and customers with a consistent schedule.”
This is the first indication that the draws will be held on schedule this year. It was difficult to predict the frequency of draws in 2023 after the introduction of category-based selection.
So far in 2024, IRCC has held a general draw and at least one category-based draw every two weeks, although there have also been occasions of three draws in one week. There is no way to confirm whether this pattern will continue throughout the year.
In terms of how large the draws will be, IRCC says it will invite candidates based on the admissions targets outlined in the current (2024-2026) Immigration Levels Plan. In 2024, IRCC aims to welcome 110,770 new permanent residents in 2024 and 117,500 in 2025. The number of candidates invited each year will not be the same as the target because Express Entry applications have a standard six-month processing time. This means candidates invited in the latter part of this year will not arrive in Canada until 2025.
Effect on CRS score
The 2024 ATIP also states, “The approximate round size at this frequency [of draws] The pool should be viable based on current expectations for vitality, although Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores and pool composition may deviate from expectations based on PT (provincial and territorial) behavior and pool replenishment.
In other words, this means that the number of candidates in the Express Entry application pool and their CRS scores will have an impact on the minimum CRS cut-off score for upcoming draws.
In the 2023 ATIP, IRCC said it expected to see a decline of about 10% in the overall average CRS score following the introduction of the category-based selection round. It speculated that this decline would likely help broaden source country and occupational diversity, but also noted that there could be a negative impact on the economic outcomes of newcomers as higher CRS are associated with stronger economic outcomes.
Express Entry draws in recent months have seen higher minimum scores than those for general draws, with none below 524. Meanwhile, some category-based selection draws have much lower score requirements, such as 336 points for the French language proficiency draw on February 29.
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