Recently, IRCC, the Canadian immigration department has, held a recent Express Entry draw on February 28, 2024. This was a general draw in which Canada Issued 1470 Invitations to Potential Express Entry Candidates. Under the Express Entry system, IRCC has sent more invitations to candidates to apply for Canada’s permanent residency status.

In a general Express Entry draw, the immigration department typically considers applicants from all three economic programs. In order to be eligible to receive an ITA under this draw, candidates needed a minimum CRS score of 534. 

Besides this recent draw, the immigration department also held three more draws between February 13 and 16. IRCC conducted a general draw on February 13 in which it sent 1,490 to candidates. The required minimum CRS score for that draw was 535. The two other draws were targeted draws for occupations under the category-based selections. 

The February 14 draw was for candidates skilled in healthcare occupations. In that draw, IRCC invited 3500 with a CRS score of 422. Besides this, IRCC considered 150 candidates skilled in agriculture and agri-food occupations. The needed CRS score for this draw was 437.

What are the expected number of ITAs IRCC will Issue in 2024 under Express Entry?

As per Canada’s new immigration levels plans, IRCC intends to admit 110,770 new permanent residents this year under Express Entry.

This target is much higher than last year’s target. In 2023, IRCC invited 82,880 new PRs under the Express Entry. 

The new immigration plan highlights that Canada aims to admit 117,500 newcomers in both 2025 and 2026.

It’s notable that beginning in 2025, the new PR target under the PNP will rise to 120,000. Thus, per this, provincial routes will become major pathways for economic immigration. This was the recent draw in which Canada Issued 1470 Invitations to Express Entry Candidates. 

IRCC Will Continue to Use the Same Express Entry Categories in 2024 Draws

Canada initiated the selection of potential candidates based on six categories that considered specific occupations and attributes.

The six categories for the 2023 draws were 

• Healthcare occupations
• STEM Professions
• Trades occupations, like plumbers, carpenters, and contractors
• Transport professions
• Agriculture and agri-food occupations
• Strong French Language Abilities

When announcing new categories, IRCC declared that the department would review these categories each year and make changes as needed.

However, on February 13, IRCC declared that the department will use the same categories for this year. Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) selected these categories after a discussion with several stakeholders. 

IRCC’s stakeholders include settlement services providers, Canadian provincial and territorial governments, businesses, and employers. In order to receive invitations under these draws, candidates must be in Canada’s Express Entry pool. 

Express Entry System in Canada

Three key programs in Canada that invite economic candidates are: 

1. The Federal Skilled Worker Program, 
2. The Canadian Experience Class, and
3.  The Federal Skilled Trades Program. 

Express Entry is an application administration system that helps fast-track the application processing.

 IRCC uses CRS to allot scores to potential candidates. There are several factors under the Comprehensive Ranking System, such as age, occupation, language abilities, Experience, and more, that IRCC uses to assess the candidate’s eligibility. Interested individuals who acquire the highest score have a greater possibility of getting an ITA for Canadian PR.

Notably, If a candidate acquires a provincial nomination, they secure an extra 600 points, boosting their chances of invitation. If a candidate gets an ITA or invitation to apply under the Express Entry, they can apply to IRCC within around two months for Canadian permanent residence.