Canada invites candidates in the first Express Entry draw of 2024
Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held its first Express Entry draw of 2024 on January 10th and issued 1,510 invitations. the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) was 546.
During the month of December, IRCC held a total of 7 draws, including two all-program draws on December 6, 2023, draw #272 and draw #275 on December 18, 2023. The CRS score requirement for these two draws was 561 and 542, respectively. Now, with the first draw of 2024, the all-program draw CRS score is consistent with the latest draws, at 546.
The remaining five draws were category-based express entry draws, which started in September 18, 2023. The December 19 draw invited 1,000 candidates in a category-based draw for trades occupations with a minimum CRS of 425 and the December 20 invited 670 candidates in transport occupations. Candidates needed a CRS score of at least 435.
Category-Based Draws
Category-based selection draws are a new type of Express Entry draw that aims to invite candidates within specific occupational fields or those who have other in-demand attributes. There are six new categories for which candidates may be eligible:
- Healthcare
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
- Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
- Transport
- Agriculture and agri-food
- Strong French-language proficiency
Category based selection draws were made possible following changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in June 2022. The changes give the immigration minister the authority to invite economic immigrants based on a specific attribute that align with Canada’s economic priorities or will promote the French language outside of Quebec.
What are the criteria for Each New Category?
To be eligible for one of the five occupation-specific categories, all candidates must:
- have accumulated, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) within the past 3 years in a single occupation listed as eligible.
- meet all requirements in the instructions for that round.
Healthcare Occupations for Category-Based Selection
Among the six new categories, healthcare occupations make up the largest number of eligible occupations with 35 in total:
- Audiologists and speech language pathologists
- Chiropractors
- Dentists
- Dieticians and nutritionists
- Education counsellors
- General practitioners and family physicians
- Instructors of persons with disabilities
- Kinesiologists and other professional occupation in therapy and assessment
- Licensed practical nurses
- Massage therapists
- Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
- Medical laboratory technologists
- Medical radiation technologists
- Medical sonographers
- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
- Nurse practitioners
- Nursing coordinators and supervisors
- Occupational therapists
- Optometrists
- Other assisting occupations in support of health services
- Other practitioners of natural healing
- Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
- Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
- Paramedical occupations
- Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
- Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
- Physiotherapists
- Psychologists
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
- Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
- Specialists in surgery
- Therapists in counseling and related specialized therapies
- Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
- Veterinarians
STEM Occupations for Category-Based Selection
Canada’s aim is to meet the growing demand for talent and fill key positions that contribute to the nation’s economic growth and technological advancement.
Eligible occupations under the STEM draw include:
- Architects
- Architecture and science managers
- Business systems specialists
- Civil Engineers
- Computer and information systems managers
- Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
- Computer systems developers and programmers
- Cybersecurity specialists
- Data scientists
- Database analysts and data administrators
- Electrical and electronics engineers
- Engineering managers
- Industrial and manufacturing engineers
- Information systems specialists
- Land surveyors
- Landscape Architects
- Mathematicians, statisticians, and actuaries
- Metallurgical and materials engineers
- Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants, and program officers
- Software developers and programmers
- Software engineers and designers
- Urban and land use planners
- Web designers
- Web developers and programmers
To be eligible for category-based selection, you must already be in the Express Entry pool and qualify under one of the three express entry programs, such as Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trade or Canadian Experience class.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact us via email at info@poonahimmigrationlaw.com for further information.
