You will master the French language category based selection Express Entry is drawn in 2024 according to a recent Access to Information Request (ATIP).
The ATIP, shared with CICNews by carry immigrationshows that throughout the draws in 2024, Canada Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) will issue 78.5% of all Invitations to apply (ITA) to Express Entry candidates in selection draws by categories. The remaining 21.5% of ITAs will be issued in general drawings.
Candidates eligible for selection through the French proficiency category will receive 30% of these, with STEM occupations being the next highest at 25% and healthcare at 15%.
The ITA percentages by category are broken down as follows:
| round type | Target category |
|---|---|
| mastery of french | 30% |
| Health occupations | fifteen% |
| STEM Occupations | 25% |
| Commercial occupations | 5% |
| Transportation occupations | 3% |
| Agricultural and agri-food occupations | 0.5% |
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Category-based selection draws were introduced in May 2023 as a means for IRCC to target Express Entry candidates with in-demand attributes such as work experience and language skills.
Why is French proficiency a leader?
In another ATIP from April 2023, obtained by CICNews, French proficiency was highlighted as particularly important because, according to a 2021 Labor Market Information Council report, employers in Canada were having trouble finding skilled and qualified workers to fill vacant positions that required bilingualism. Furthermore, it found that major French-speaking economic applicants had a higher incidence of employment.
This data was supported by a Statistics Canada study released in January that found that language ability is the most important deciding factor in an economic immigration candidate’s overall success in the Canadian workforce.
The IRCC also says this has an impact on public services in Canada because all Canadians have the right to access these services in any of the official languages (French or English).
As per ATIP 2023, when the category was first proposed, IRCC noted that 11-15% of candidates invited through category-based selection would be from this category. However, to date, the French proficiency draws have invited the largest number of candidates of any category (17,300 ITA as of July 2023).
The department also noted that inviting a high percentage of French-speaking candidates would help ensure that IRCC meets its mandatory target of 4.4% of all French-speaking newcomers settling outside Quebec in 2023.
The department was successful in this. Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in January of this year that 4.7% of all newcomers outside Quebec. He said the 2024 target would rise to 6%.
ATIP itself noted that support for this category was mixed. While 54% of stakeholders said 42% indicated they felt the category would have no impact or were unsure of the impact. Support was at its lowest levels from stakeholders in Alberta and British Columbia. They considered that there would be no significant economic impact outside of French-speaking minority communities.
Other respondents who supported the category said there is a need for bilingualism in healthcare, tourism, hospitality and education. They also noted the non-economic benefits that would accrue from the category, such as removing barriers for francophone minorities to access services in their first language.
When will the draws take place and what size will they be?
Based on the 2024 ATIP, IRCC has developed a schedule for Express Entry draws in 2024. However, most of the details have been redacted. It says the draws will be conducted in a way that will “provide predictability to provinces, territories and customers with a consistent schedule.”
This is the first indication that the draws will be held on a schedule this year. The frequency of draws throughout 2023 was difficult to predict following the introduction of category-based selection.
So far in 2024, IRCC has held one general draw and at least one category draw every two weeks, although there have been occasions with three draws in one week. There is no way to confirm whether this pattern will continue for the rest of the year.
In terms of how big the draws will be, IRCC says it will invite candidates based on the admissions targets outlined in the current one (2024-2026). Immigration Tier Plan. In 2024, the IRCC aims to host 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 six-month processing standard. This means that candidates invited in the second half of this year will not land in Canada until 2025.
Impact on CRS scores
The 2024 ATIP also says: “The round sizes intended at this frequency [of draws] should be feasible based on current pool vitality expectations, although Comprehensive classification system (CRS) and the composition of the fund may deviate from expectations depending on the behavior of the PT (Provincial and Territorial) and the replenishment of the fund.”
Put another way, this means that the number of candidates in the Express Entry application pool and their CRS scores will impact the minimum CRS cutoff scores for upcoming draws.
In the 2023 ATIP, IRCC said it expected to see a drop of approximately 10% in the average total CRS score following the introduction of category-based selection rounds. He anticipated that this drop would likely help broaden occupational and country-of-origin diversity, but also noted that there could be a negative impact on the economic outcomes of newcomers, as higher CRS correlates with stronger economic outcomes.
Express Entry drawings in recent months have seen higher minimum scores for general drawings, none lower than 524. Meanwhile, some category-based selection drawings have required much lower scores, such as 336 for a French language proficiency draw on February 29.
reference: www.cicnews.com