Canada’s Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently conducted its latest round of Express Entry invitations, focusing on the French language category. On July 12th, the department issued invitations to 3,800 candidates who met the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirement of 375.
It is worth noting that this is an ongoing development, and CIC News will provide updates throughout the week. Here is a summary of the most recent Express Entry results:
July 11:
The minimum CRS score required for these candidates was 505, which is significantly higher than the CRS scores for the category-based selection invitations from the previous week. However, it is still lower than the 511 required for candidates in the July 4 draw.
July 4-7:
Between July 4-7, IRCC conducted draws on four consecutive days. The invitations issued on July 4 were unexpected and included candidates from all programs. These 700 invited candidates needed a minimum CRS score of 511, which was the highest requirement for any all-program draw in 2023 so far.
A total of 500 candidates were invited, and they needed a minimum CRS score of 486. IRCC had announced this draw a week in advance.
In the third draw of that week, on July 6, IRCC invited 1,500 candidates in a category-based selection draw specifically for healthcare professionals. The cut-off CRS score for this draw was 463.
The fourth draw of the week took place on July 7, where Invitations to Apply (ITAs) were issued to 2,300 candidates with strong French-speaking abilities. These candidates needed a minimum CRS score of 439.
Category-based selection:
On May 31, Canada’s immigration minister, Sean Fraser, announced the establishment of categories for category-based selection. These categories were anticipated after the royal assent of Bill C-19 in Canada’s parliament the previous June, which transformed it into law.
This new approach allows the minister to invite newcomers based on specific attributes, such as language proficiency or work experience, rather than solely relying on the overall CRS score. The categories were determined through discussions with stakeholders, provincial and territorial governments, and identified the most critical gaps in Canada’s labor force.
Candidates selected under these categories still need to meet the eligibility requirements for the Express Entry program. Additionally, having a high CRS score remains advantageous as candidates will still be ranked against each other.
This number will increase to 109,020 in 2024 and 114,000 by 2025. The introduction of new Express Entry categories will help ensure that newcomers to Canada contribute to meeting these targets while strengthening the country’s workforce.
