In Canada’s most recent Express Entry lottery, Invitations to Apply (ITAs) have been released by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
In a draw limited to Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) participants, the department issued 1,499 ITAs.
To be considered, candidates had to receive a minimum of 663 points on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
Two drawings on May 30 and 31 precede this one. The fact that they were both program-specific draws made them special. Since category-based selection drawings were introduced in May 2023, there have been no draws that are exclusive to any particular program.
Candidates who received a provincial nomination through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) were the only ones taken into consideration for the May 30 draw; candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) were the focus of the May 31 draw. A total of 5,985 Express Entry candidates received ITAs as a result of these lotteries.
The CEC draw was the first such draw since September 2021. As many CEC candidates currently live and work in Canada, the draw is in line with Canada’s recent announcement that would be holding more domestic draws to transition more temporary residents to permanent residents and bring down the overall level of temporary residents in Canada. This also applies to the PNP draw.
Summary of Express Entry draw results in 2024
| Date | Draw Type | Number of ITAs | Minimum CRS |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 19 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,499 | 663 |
| May 31 | Canadian Experience Class | 3,000 | 522 |
| May 30 | Provincial Nominee Program | 2,985 | 676 |
| April 24 | French proficiency | 1,400 | 410 |
| April 23 | General | 2,095 | 529 |
| April 11 | STEM occupations | 4,500 | 491 |
| April 10 | General | 1,280 | 549 |
| March 26 | French language proficiency | 1,500 | 388 |
| March 25 | General | 1,980 | 524 |
| March 13 | Transport occupations | 975 | 430 |
| March 12 | General | 2,850 | 525 |
| February 29 | French language proficiency | 2,500 | 336 |
| February 28 | General | 1,470 | 534 |
| February 16 | Agriculture and agri-food occupations | 150 | 437 |
| February 14 | Healthcare occupations | 3,500 | 422 |
| February 13 | 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 Express Entry?
Express Entry is an application management system that oversees three of Canada’s 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 ability, occupation, and education. The system also considers the inclusion of a spouse or partner in an application.
Each factor is worth a certain number of points and when added together, these points comprise a candidate’s overall CRS score. Once the candidate receives a CRS score, they are then ranked against other Express Entry candidates and those with the highest scores are the most likely to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residency in an upcoming Express Entry draw.
All three programs have different eligibility criteria but use the same system.
Once a candidate receives an ITA, they have 60 days to submit their final application for permanent residence to IRCC.
What is category-based selection?
Category-based selection was introduced in May 2023 as a means for IRCC to select Express Entry candidates with attributes that will have the most positive impact and Canada’s labour force and economy.
The six categories include five that are occupation based and one that targets candidates with strong proficiency in the French language. The occupation categories are:
- Healthcare occupations
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
- Trades occupations, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
- Transport occupations
- Agriculture and agri-food occupations
According to a recently obtained Access to Information Request, the highest number of category-based selection draws this year will be for candidates in the French proficiency category (30%). Healthcare and STEM occupations will account for 15% and 25% respectively and the remaining categories will be 5% or less.