Canada Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) has issued invitations to apply (ITA) to Express Entry candidates in the third draw of the month.
The department issued 2,095 ITAs in a general draw.
Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive classification system (CRS) of 529 to be considered.
The other two draws of the month took place on April 10 and 11.
Get a free Express Entry assessment
The April 10 lottery was a general draw (meaning candidates from all Express Entry programs were considered). It invited 1,280 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 549. This was the highest minimum CRS score for any draw so far in 2024 and a sharp increase from a previous general draw on March 25 in which candidates had to obtain a Minimum score of 524 to be considered.
This month’s other drawing was the first of the year for Express Entry candidates who were eligible for category-based selection for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) occupations. The department invited 4,500 candidates with a minimum CRS of 491.
Summary of Express Entry lottery results in 2024
| Date | Draw type | ITA number | minimum CRS |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 23rd | General | 2,095 | 529 |
| April 11 | STEM Occupations | 4,500 | 491 |
| April 10th | General | 1,280 | 549 |
| March 26 | French language proficiency | 1,500 | 388 |
| March 25th | General | 1980 | 524 |
| March 13 | Transportation occupations | 975 | 430 |
| March 12 | General | 2,850 | 525 |
| February 29 | French language proficiency | 2,500 | 336 |
| February 28 | General | 1,470 | 534 |
| February 16th | Agricultural and agri-food occupations | 150 | 437 |
| February 14th | Health occupations | 3,500 | 422 |
| February 13th | General | 1,490 | 535 |
| February 1 | French language proficiency | 7,000 | 365 |
| January 31 | General | 730 | 541 |
| January 23 | General | 1,040 | 543 |
| January 10 | General | 1,510 | 546 |
What is category-based selection?
Category-based selection draws were introduced in May 2023 as a method for IRCC to target Express Entry candidates with highly in-demand human capital attributes, such as their language ability or occupation.
The final categories for 2023 were chosen following consultation with IRCC partners and stakeholders. In early 2024, the department announced that it would maintain the same categories throughout 2024. They are:
- Health occupations
- Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professions
- Trade occupations, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors.
- Transportation occupations
- Agricultural and agri-food occupations
- Strong command of French
Candidates in occupation-based categories require at least six months of continuous full-time work experience in an eligible occupation for the past three years.
Those who are eligible in the French proficiency category must have French language test results showing a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language skills on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is an application management system for economic immigration candidates in the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
Candidates who are eligible for one of these programs upload a profile to the IRCC website and are assigned scores based on human capital factors such as age, language ability, education, work experience, and occupation. These scores are taken together and used to assign a final Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
Those with the highest scores are more likely to receive an invitation to apply for permanent resident status in Canada. If a candidate is issued an ITA, then he submits his final application to IRCC, which aims to process the application within six months.
reference: www.cicnews.com