The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sent 3,750 Invitations to Apply (ITA) for its healthcare category-based third Express Entry selection draw of the week. To be considered, the applicant needs a minimum of 445 for the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Applicants with scores below the minimum requirement will not be eligible for the healthcare selection draw category.
On July 4, another category-based draw for trade occupations was held and about 1,800 candidates were eligible for it. The IRCC also held a draw for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) earlier in the week. All 920 invited candidates scored at least 739, the minimum score required for the draw. Some factors affect the total score, which will be discussed below. In total — including the healthcare category-based draw — the number of Invitations to Apply issued is close to 7,000 invitations. About 6,470, to be exact. By far it’s the highest number of ITAs issued since April 2024.
The IRCC’s express selection draw began in early 2024 and since May 30, about four program-specific draws have been held, with three of them for the PNP candidates. Only candidates who joined through the Express Entry program which include the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the CEC, or the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) are to be considered for the express draw. Also, for the PNP-specific draw, the only candidates who will be considered are those nominated through enhanced nomination, a process that involves nominating applicants through an Express Entry stream of a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). You may not be considered if you weren’t nominated through the Express Entry aligned stream of a PNP.
Although the category-based selection draw was introduced in May 2023, its implementation happened just recently. However, there were plans to stabilize the influx of temporary residents in Canada, and one way to resolve this is by offering temporary residents, and or work or study visas.
Several temporary residents who applied for permanent residency, and have lived or are currently living in Canada, applied for their permanent resident visa through the CEC. The same applies to PNP candidates. This means that the IRCC can meet its annual target for Federal High Skilled Workers Entry outlined in the Immigration Plan. At the same time, they get to also reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada.
