Canada invites 1,400 candidates in Express Entry draw for French proficiency
Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued invitations to apply (ITAs) to Express Entry candidates in the third draw of the month.
The department issued 2,095 ITAs in a general draw.
Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 529 to be considered.
The two other draws of the month took place on April 10 and 11.
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The April 10 draw was general (meaning candidates were considered from all Express Entry programs). It invited 1,280 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 549. This was the highest minimum CRS score for any draw so far in 2024 and a sharp increase from a previous general draw on March 25 in which candidates needed to score a minimum of 524 to be considered.
The other draw this month was the first of the year for Express Entry candidates who were eligible for category-based selection for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) occupations. The department invited 4,500 candidates with a minimum CRS of 491.
Summary of Express Entry draw results in 2024
DateDraw TypeNumber of ITAsMinimum CRS
April 23General2,095529
April 11STEM occupations4,500491
April 10General1,280549
March 26French language proficiency1,500388
March 25General1,980524
March 13Transport occupations975430
March 12General2,850525
February 29French language proficiency2,500336
February 28General1,470534
February 16Agriculture and agri-food occupations150437
February 14Healthcare occupations3,500422
February 13General1,490535
February 1French language proficiency7,000365
January 31General730541
January 23General1,040543
January 10General1,510546
What is category-based selection?
Category-based selection draws were introduced in May 2023 as a method for IRCC to target Express Entry candidates with highly in-demand human capital attributes such as their language ability or occupation.
The final categories for 2023 were chosen following consultations with IRCC partners and stakeholders. In early 2024, the department announced it would keep the same categories throughout 2024. They are:
Healthcare occupations
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
Trades occupations, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
Transport occupations
Agriculture and agri-food occupations
Strong French proficiency
Candidates in occupation-based categories require at least six months of continuous full-time work experience in an eligible occupation over the past three years.
Those who are eligible under the category for French proficiency must have French-language test results that show a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens.
What is Express Entry?
Express Entry is an application management system for economic immigration candidates in the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
Candidates who are eligible for one of these programs upload a profile to the IRCC website and are assigned scores based on human capital factors such as age, language ability, education, work experience and occupation. These scores are taken together and used to assign a final Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
Those with the highest scores are the most likely to receive an invitation to apply for permanent resident status in Canada. If a candidate is issued an ITA, they then submit their final application to IRCC, which aims to process the application within six months.
