These are the profiles receiving ITAs in the most recent Express Entry trades draw
On September 18, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the first trades draw in close to a year, providing a new wave of invitations to these professionals to apply for permanent residence (PR).
The most recent draw invited 1,250 candidates from Express Entry’s trade category who had a minimum CRS 505.
While the CRS cut-off for this draw was higher than most other category-based selections through Express Entry, the department is expected to conduct more trades draws before the end of the year.
See how competitive your Express Entry profile is, and how to improve your CRS score
Per a recently released ATIP, IRCC planned to issue 3,300 invitations to apply (ITAs) in the second half of 2025, which would leave a remainder of 2,050—although this is not guaranteed.
This article will provide fictional examples of profiles that could have received an ITA through the most recent trades draw.
Example one: Kavitha Mustafa
Kavitha is an unmarried 25-year-old cook from India.
She has a degree in culinary food management from her school in India, which is the equivalent of a two-year college bachelor’s degree in Canada.
Kavitha has two years of foreign work experience and one year of Canadian work experience.
She is accredited as a licensed cook by Skilled Trades Ontario and has a certificate of qualification.
She speaks English with a high level of proficiency, earning her a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 10 across all four language abilities. She has no knowledge of French.
Based on her human capital factors and work experience, Kavitha’s CRS score is as follows:
CRS scoring factor Kavitha’s qualification Kavitha’s score
Age 25 110
Education One-year degree, diploma or certificate from a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute 98
Official languages proficiency (English) CLB 10 for all language abilities 136
Official languages proficiency (French) N/A 0
Canadian Work Experience One year 40
Post-secondary degree + Language ability Post-secondary program credential of one year or longer + CLB 9 language ability 25
Canadian work experience + post-secondary degree Post-secondary program credential of one year or longer + One year of Canadian work experience 13
Foreign work experience + Language proficiency Two years of foreign work experience + CLB 10 English language ability 25
Foreign work experience + Canadian work experience Two years of foreign work experience + One year of Canadian work experience 13
Certificate of qualification + Official language ability Certificate of qualification + CLB 9 in all language abilities 50
Total 510
With a CRS score of 510, Kavitha could have qualified for the most recent trades draw.
Example Two: Mohamed Saddiq
Mohamed is a 31-year-old carpenter from Bangladesh.
He is unmarried and has good advanced proficiency in English (CLB level 9), with no knowledge of French.
Mohamed has a three-year degree from a school in Bangladesh equivalent to a Canadian bachelor’s degree in carpentry and industrial design, and three years of foreign work experience.
He also has a one-year degree from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in their Carpentry Framing and Forming Foundation program, and has begun work as an apprentice. Mohamed currently has one year of Canadian work experience.
He also has a brother who recently became a Canadian permanent resident.
Mohamed’s CRS score is as follows:
CRS scoring factor Mohamed’s qualification Mohamed’s score
Age 31 99
Education Two or more certificates, diplomas, or degrees. One must be for a program of three or more years 128
Official languages proficiency (English) CLB 9 for all language abilities 124
Official languages proficiency (French) N/A 0
Canadian Work Experience One year 40
Post-secondary degree + Language ability A university-level credential at the level of an entry-to-practice professional degree for a skilled occupation for which licensing by a provincial regulatory body is required + CLB 9 language ability 50
Canadian work experience + post-secondary degree One year of Canadian work experience + A university-level credential at the level of an entry-to-practice professional degree for a skilled occupation for which licensing by a provincial regulatory body is required 25
Foreign work experience + Language proficiency Three years of foreign work experience + CLB 9 English language ability 50
Foreign work experience + Canadian work experience Three years of foreign work experience + One year of Canadian work experience 25
Certificate of qualification + Official language ability No certificate of qualification + CLB 10 in all language abilities 0
Total 100*
Brother or sister living in Canada (18 years or older, citizen or permanent resident) Brother 15
Education in Canada Post-secondary education in Canada – credential of one or two years 15
Total 521
*Note that skill transferability factors have a capped maximum score of 100, meaning that regardless of how many points a candidate scores based on the skills criteria, they can only earn a maximum total score of 100 for all of their skill transferability factors. This cap is further broken down into three 50-point caps:
a 50-point cap for education-related skill transferability factors;
a 50-point cap for foreign work experience-related skill transferability factors; and
a 50-point cap for a combination of strong language proficiency and having a certificate of qualification.
Based on his score of 521, Mohamed could have qualified for the most recent trades draw.
Example Three: Jonathan Nwogu
Jonathan is a married 32-year-old electrical mechanic from Nigeria.
Jonathan has a Canadian one-year college diploma from George Brown College through their Electrical Techniques Program. He is proficient in English (CLB 10).
Jonathan has three years of foreign work experience and three years of Canadian work experience as an electrical mechanic through his apprenticeship program with Skilled Trades Ontario. As Jonathan is not yet licensed as a full electrician, he does not have a certificate of qualification yet.
His wife, Efe, is an English teacher who completed a master’s degree in education in Nigeria. She has advanced proficiency in English (CLB 12) and has three years of Canadian work experience.
Based on their human capital factors and work experience, Jonathan and Efe’s scores are as follows:
CRS scoring factor Jonathan / Efe’s qualification Jonathan / Efe’s score
Age 32 85
Education One-year degree, diploma or certificate from a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute 84
Official languages proficiency (English) CLB 10 for all language abilities 128
Official languages proficiency (French) N/A 0
Canadian Work Experience Three years 56
Spouse’s or common-law partner’s level of education Master’s degree 10
Spouse’s or common-law partner’s official languages proficiency – first official language CLB 12 20
Spouse’s Canadian work experience Three years 8
Post-secondary degree + Language ability Post-secondary program credential of one year or longer + CLB 9 language ability 25
Canadian work experience + post-secondary degree Post-secondary program credential of one year or longer + Two years of Canadian work experience 25
Foreign work experience + Language proficiency Three years of foreign work experience + CLB 9 English language ability 50
Foreign work experience + Canadian work experience Three years of foreign work experience + Three year of Canadian work experience 50
Certificate of qualification + Official language ability No Certificate of qualification + CLB 9 in all language abilities 0
Total100*
Post-secondary education in Canada – credential of one or two years College diploma of one year in Canada 15
Total 506
*Note that skill transferability factors have a capped maximum score of 100, meaning that regardless of how many points a candidate scores based on the skills criteria, they can only earn a maximum total score of 100 for all of their skill transferability factors. This cap is further broken down into three 50-point caps:
a 50-point cap for education-related skill transferability factors;
a 50-point cap for foreign work experience-related skill transferability factors; and
a 50-point cap for a combination of strong language proficiency and having a certificate of qualification.
Based on a score of 506, Jonathan could have qualified for an ITA in the latest trades draw. If Jonathan’s application for PR is successful, Efe will also receive PR status under the same application.
How to qualify for category-based selections under Express Entry
To be eligible for an Express Entry category, candidates must:
Meet the minimum eligibility criteria for one of the three Express Entry-managed programs;
Have professional experience** (either inside or outside of Canada) in an eligible occupation under one of Express Entry’s professional categories OR strong French language proficiency equivalent to a CLB level 7 in all four language abilities (reading, writing, speaking, and listening).
**To be eligible for a category, this professional experience must:
Be at least six months of full-time, continuous work experience OR an equivalent amount of part-time experience;
Have been accumulated within the past three years; and
Be in a single occupation within one of Express Entry’s professional categories.
See how competitive your Express Entry profile is, and how to improve your CRS score
