Candidates in Canada’s Express Entry pool with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores below 500 now have an improved pathway to permanent residency through eligibility for category-based selection draws. These draws, initiated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in 2023, focus on certain skills and professions crucial to Canada’s labor market and demographic goals. Unlike general and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws, which have required CRS scores above 500 throughout 2024, category-based selection draws often set lower CRS cut-offs, giving candidates in specific fields a greater chance of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
Overview of Category-Based Selection
IRCC’s category-based selection draws were launched to prioritize candidates in occupations or skills deemed high-need by Canada. These categories currently include:
- French-language proficiency
- Healthcare occupations
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) occupations
- Trade occupations
- Transport occupations
- Agriculture and agri-food occupations
To qualify for a category-based selection draw, candidates need at least six months of full-time, continuous work experience within their field in the past three years, either in Canada or abroad. Those applying through the French proficiency category must have Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) test results with a minimum score of seven across all language abilities.
Examples of Candidates Eligible for Category-Based Selection Draws
The following profiles illustrate how category-based selection draws assist candidates with CRS scores under 500 in receiving ITAs:
Example 1: Transport Occupations
Ahmad, a 32-year-old aircraft assembly inspector from the United Arab Emirates, has a master’s degree in aviation technology and advanced English proficiency (CLB 9). Though he has no Canadian work experience or degree from a Canadian institution, his CRS score is as follows:
- Core Human Capital: 353/460
- Skill Transferability: 100/100
- Additional Factors: 0/600
- Total CRS Score: 453
| Factors determining CRS scores | Qualifications | Points accrued |
| Age | 32 | 94 |
| Education | Master’s degree | 135 |
| English language proficiency | CLB 9 | 124 |
| Skills Transferability: Education (language + post-secondary degree) | CLB 9 + Master’s degree | 50 |
| Skills Transferability: Foreign work experience (language + foreign work experience) |
CLB 9 + 4 years of work experience | 50 |
In March 2024, a Transport category draw had a CRS cut-off of 430. Ahmad’s score would have made him eligible for an ITA, had he been in the Express Entry pool at that time.
Example 2: Agriculture and Agri-Food Occupations
Alvin, a 34-year-old from the Philippines, completed a three-year post-secondary degree in landscape design and horticulture in Canada and has worked as a landscape supervisor in Canada for three years. With high intermediate English skills (CLB 8), his CRS score is calculated as follows:
- Core Human Capital: 367/460
- Skill Transferability: 50/100
- Additional Factors: 30/600
- Total CRS Score: 447
| Factors determining CRS score | Qualifications | Points accrued |
| Age | 34 | 83 |
| Education | Two or more post secondary courses | 128 |
| English language proficiency | CLB 8 | 92 |
| Canadian work experience | 3 years | 64 |
| Skills transferability: Education (language + Canadian work experience) | CLB 8 + 3 years of work experience | 50 |
| Additional factors: Canadian post-secondary education | 30 |
The February 16, 2024, agriculture occupations draw had a cut-off score of 437, meaning Alvin’s score would have qualified him for an ITA.
Example 3: French-Language Proficiency
Sara, a 27-year-old accountant from Morocco, holds a three-year degree in finance and has three years of relevant work experience. With advanced French (CLB 9) and intermediate English (CLB 5), her CRS score is as follows:
- Core Human Capital: 358/460
- Skill Transferability: 75/100
- Additional Factors: 50/600
- Total CRS Score: 483
| Factors determining CRS score | Qualifications | Points accrued |
| Age | 27 | 110 |
| Education | Post secondary degree | 120 |
| French language proficiency | CLB 9 | 124 |
| English language proficiency | CLB 5 | 4 |
| Skills transferability: Education (language + Canadian work experience) | Points for language skills | 25 |
| Skills transferability: Foreign work experience (language + Canadian work experience) |
Points for language skills | 50 |
| Additional factors: Proficient in French | CLB 9 | 50 |
The most recent French language proficiency draw, held on October 10, 2024, had a cut-off of 444, so Sara’s score would qualify her for an ITA in this category.
Evolving Focus of Category-Based Selections
Canada’s category-based draws are responsive to evolving economic and labor market requirements. In 2023, nearly a third of ITAs went to candidates with STEM experience, while 2024 has seen increased emphasis on French language proficiency. IRCC anticipates that French-language candidates will receive approximately 30% of all ITAs this year, aligning with the federal goal of attracting more French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec. Targets for francophone newcomers settling outside Quebec are set to increase to 6% in 2024, 7% in 2025, and 8% in 2026.
The IRCC plans to introduce new categories based on input from provincial representatives, industry stakeholders, and immigration experts.
Impact of Category-Based Selections on CRS Cut-Off Scores
Since the adoption of category-based draws, general Express Entry draws have decreased, with the last one held in April 2024. Draws for CEC, Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and category-based selections have become more frequent, with some weeks seeing up to three draws.
Category-based draws have influenced CRS cut-offs, with general draw cut-offs rising from an average of 489 in early 2023 to 536 in 2024—a nearly 50-point increase. Meanwhile, CRS cut-offs for category-based draws have varied, sometimes dropping significantly, as seen in the French proficiency draw on February 29, 2024, where the cut-off was 336.
All candidates eligible for category-based draws should ensure their profiles remain updated to take advantage of future selections that match their qualifications and expertise.