Recently, IRCC held a surprising Express Entry draw and issued invitations to 700 candidates. This was an all-program draw requiring candidates to have the lowest CRS score of 511.

The draw surprised everyone, as IRCC has earlier stated that, on July 5, it will invite 1500 healthcare workers through the category-based draws. Also, it intends to welcome candidates with job expertise in STEM occupations (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in its first-ever category-based EE draws for professions in the STEM category.

The minimum required score for healthcare and STEM occupations is still to be determined.

IRCC, on June 28, held the first-ever category-based Express Entry draw for healthcare workers. It invited 500 healthcare professionals with a minimum CRS score of 476. IRCC, on the same day, declared that it is planning to invite candidates under the STEM category in an Express Entry Category-Based draw this week.

For the all-program draw of 2023, the current CRS score of 511 is the highest recorded. This CRS score is much higher compared to the last all-program draw, which occurred on June 27, and invited 4300 candidates. In that draw, the minimum required CRS score was 486. Additionally, this current score is 35 points higher than the most recent category-based draw of June 28, which had the lowest CRS score of 476.

Express Entry Category-Based Draws.

Category-based draws are the new addition to the Express Entry draws that are established to admit candidates with work experience in a specific field or the ones who have other attributes that are in high demand in the country.

The category-based draws include the six new categories to which candidates can apply:

  • Healthcare
  • Transport
  • Agriculture and agri-food
  • STEM professions (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)
  • Strong French-language proficiency
  • Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors

Due to the alterations made to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in June 2022, the new category-based selection draws have become accessible. These changes authorize the immigration minister to invite economic immigrants on the basis of specific characteristics that correspond to the economic priorities of Canada or encourage francophone immigration outside Quebec.

Express Entry: What is it?

IRCC uses Express Entry to select candidates for permanent residency. It’s an application management system that uses a Comprehensive Ranking System or CRS score to choose candidates. Various factors such as age, education, occupation, work experience, language ability, and more are used to assess the candidate in CRS.

When a candidate who is eligible for Express Entry applies on the IRCC website, based on the factors mentioned above, they are allocated a CRS score and are ranked along with other candidates. Candidates with the highest scores will most probably receive an Invitation to Apply or ITA. Express Entry manages three popular programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. All the programs are evaluated using the same system, but the eligibility requirements for each program are different.