Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have issued invitations to apply (ITAs) in the most recent Express Entry draw.
The department issued 400 ITAs in a Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draw.
Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 539 to be considered.
Today’s draw follows a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw on November 18 which invited 174 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 816.
This is also the second week in a row that Express Entry draws have occurred.
The previous week issued a total of 1,933 ITAs to candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program, PNP candidates, and candidates with French language proficiency.
Federal targets for immigration through the Express Entry system are set to increase next year, per IRCC’s latest Immigration Levels Plan. The immigration department hopes to welcome 124,680 Express Entry candidates to Canada next year.
In addition, more than 82,000 of these admissions will be dedicated to a new category for Express Entry candidates in Canada, known as the In-Canada Focus category. This category will be comprised primarily of CEC candidates in the Express Entry pool, but may also include candidates in the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and PNP-aligned Express Entry streams.
Per the latest Levels Plan, the remaining 41,7000 permanent residence (PR) admissions will be reserved for the “Federal Economic Priorities” category. This category will invite candidates in the Express Entry pool who have professional experience in in-demand professions and occupations in the Canadian labour market.