IRCC Sent 1000 ITAs to Trade Workers in Latest EE Draw

Canada recently announced the result of this week’s second Express Entry draw. This was a category-based selection draw in which IRCC sent 1000 ITAs to Trade Workers.

Candidates with work experience in trade occupations and a minimum CRS score of 425 were eligible to secure an ITA under this draw.

IRCC Sent 1000 ITAs to Trade Workers & ITAs issued in Previous Draws

In Canada’s latest Express Entry draw, IRCC sent 1000 ITAs to trade workers. Before this, IRCC held an Express Entry draw on December 18, in which the department issued 1325 ITAs. The draw was an all-program draw with a CRS score requirement of 542.

Last week, IRCC also conducted three consecutive Express Entry draws. The third draw took place on December 8 and issued 5,900 ITAs. Invited Candidates were skilled in STEM occupations and had a CRS score of 481.

That week’s second draw occurred on December 7, in which IRCC sent 1000 ITAs to candidates with French-speaking abilities. The minimum required CRS score for the draw was 470.

Last week’s first draw occurred on December 6, which took place after a month. IRCC targeted candidates who had a score of 561 in an all-program draw. Prior to the pause in the EE draws October 26 witnessed a draw for healthcare workers.

What Caused the pause in the Express Entry Draw?

The immigration department, IRCC, did not disclose the cause of the temporary suspension of the Express Entry Draws.

However, the department on November 14, tweeted that candidates who had an ITA were having difficulties uploading their final application to the IRCC site due to an IT problem with the Express Entry profile builder.

Later, after two days, on November 16, IRCC retweeted that it had resolved the problem. Still, IRCC did not resume the express entry draws as soon as expected.

Typically, there are various reasons that may push IRCC to delay holding Express Entry draws. For instance, IT issues, changes to the CRS system, staffing changes, and if the department is about to reach its EE immigration targets are some possible causes.

Express Entry and Category-Based Draws

Canada’s Express Entry is a popular immigration system that manages applications for economic immigration from overseas.

The FSWP or Federal Skilled Worker Program, the CEC or Canadian Experience Class as well as, the FSTP or Federal Skilled Trades Program are the three major immigration programs managed under Express Entry.

The Express Entry system has CRS, which gives candidates a score based on different human capital factors. These are education, age, occupation, language ability, and work experience.

A high CRS score increases a candidate’s chances of receiving an ITA for permanent residency in the forthcoming Express Entry draw.

After getting an ITA, candidates can apply to IRCC for PR. Typically, the application service standard for a PR application is six months.

Canada introduced category-based draws under the Express Entry system in May this year. Canada selected six new categories for 2023, which are in demand and experiencing labor shortages for category-based draws. These are as follows: