Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in the third Express Entry draw this week.
In this category-based selection draw for healthcare occupations, 3,750 ITAs were issued.
Candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 445 to be eligible.
This draw marks the second category-based draw of the week, following a July 4 draw that issued 1,800 ITAs to candidates in trade occupations.
Details of the Express
· Date: July 5, 2024
· Occupation: Healthcare occupations (Version 1)
· Number of Invitations Issued: 3,750
· Rank Required to be Invited: 3,750 or above
· Date and Time of Round: July 5, 2024, at 16:03:12 UTC
· CRS Score of Lowest-Ranked Candidate Invited: 445
· Tie-Breaking Rule Date and Time: May 7, 2024, at 21:27:04 UTC
Additionally, on July 2, IRCC conducted a draw exclusively for candidates in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), inviting 920 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 739.
With a total of 6,470 ITAs issued this week, it is the highest number since April.
The recent trend of program-specific draws started earlier this year. Since May 30, IRCC has held four program-specific draws, three of which were for PNP candidates.
Program-specific draws consider only those in the Express Entry pool who have applied through programs such as the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), or the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). In PNP-only draws, candidates are considered only if they have been nominated through an Express Entry aligned stream of a PNP, known as enhanced nomination.
Until recently, category-based selection draws had not occurred since their introduction in May 2023. However, since January this year, IRCC has been working to stabilize the high levels of temporary residents in Canada by offering more pathways for temporary residents, such as those on work or study permits or visitor visas, to become permanent residents (PR).
Many temporary residents applying for PR, who are currently living in Canada or have experience living in Canada, do so through the CEC. This is also true for PNP candidates. This allows IRCC to meet its yearly target for “Federal High Skilled Workers” as outlined in the Immigration Levels Plan while also reducing the number of temporary residents in Canada.
