Canada’s first Express Entry draw of 2024 occurred recently. IRCC issued invitations to 1,510 candidates to apply in a general draw, and the minimum CRS score requirement was 546. The general draw considered candidates from all programs, including the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the FSTP. These programs don’t target any human capital characteristics or occupations.
In addition, the four latest draws occurred from December 18 to 21. On December 18, the all-program draw issued invitations to 1,325 candidates with a minimum score requirement of 524.
The rest of the three draws occurred for candidates with eligibility for Category-Based Selection in any of the six new categories. On December 19, a category-based draw for trade occupation candidates occurred in which the minimum CRS score requirement was 425, and 1,000 ITAs were sent. Next, on December 20, IRCC issued 670 ITAs to transport occupation candidates. They had to score a minimum CRS score of 435.
On December 21, candidates in the Agriculture and Agri-Food occupations received 400 ITAs; their minimum CRS score cut-off was 386.
In addition, IRCC conducted three draws between December 6 and 8. An all-program draw took place on December 6, while on December 7, candidates with stronger French language skills received ITAs. Also, on December 8, STEM occupation candidates received ITAs.
Overall, the month of December had seven Express Entry draws. In 2023, this was the highest number of Express Entry draws in a single month. However, these draws occurred after a long haul from October 26 until the draw on December 6. Moreover, IRCC didn’t reveal any reason behind this temporary pause.
Canada’s first Express Entry draw of 2024 occurred recently – Looking at all draws since June 2023
Refer to the table below:
| Date | Program Type | ITAs Issued | Lowest CRS Score |
| June 8 | All-program | 4,800 | 486 |
| June 27 | All-program | 4,300 | 486 |
| June 28 | Healthcare occupations | 500 | 476 |
| July 4 | All-program | 700 | 511 |
| July 5 | STEM occupations | 500 | 486 |
| July 6 | Healthcare occupations | 1500 | 463 |
| July 7 | French language proficiency | 2,300 | 439 |
| July 11 | All-program | 800 | 505 |
| July 12 | French language proficiency | 3,800 | 375 |
| August 1 | All-program | 2,000 | 517 |
| August 2 | French language proficiency | 800 | 435 |
| August 3 | Trade occupations | 1,500 | 388 |
| August 15 | All-program | 4,300 | 496 |
| September 19 | All-Program | 3,200 | 531 |
| September 20 | Transport Occupations | 1,000 | 435 |
| September 26 | All-Program | 3,000 | 504 |
| September 27 | French Language Proficiency | 500 | 472 |
| September 28 | Agriculture and Agri-Food Occupations | 600 | 354 |
| October 10 | All-Program Draw | 3,725 | 500 |
| October 24 | PNP-only | 1,548 | 776 |
| October 25 | French language proficiency | 300 | 486 |
| October 26 | Healthcare occupations | 3,600 | 431 |
| December 6 | All-Program Draw | 4,750 | 561 |
| December 7 | French Category-based draw | 1,000 | 470 |
| December 8 | STEM Occupations | 5,900 | 481 |
| December 18 | All-program | 1,325 | 542 |
| December 19 | Trade occupations | 1,000 | 425 |
| December 20 | Transport Occupations | 670 | 435 |
| December 21 | Agriculture related Occupations | 400 | 386 |
| January 10, 2024 | General Draw | 1,510 | 546 |
Express Entry draw predictions for 2024
In 2024, per the new Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026, 110,000 new permanent residents will arrive in Canada via Express Entry. This is a boost from the 2023 target of 82,880 Express Entry candidates. However, it still doesn’t imply that candidates with ITAs in 2024 will gain entry into Canada before the end of the year. On the other hand, those who attain ITAs in the latter part of the year will arrive here in 2025. This is evident because of IRCC’s standard processing period of six months. It is only after this timeframe that IRCC determines the final outcome for any application.
Interestingly, in 2023, IRCC issued over 100,000 ITAs to Express Entry candidates.
Defining Express Entry
The Express Entry application management system supervises the three chief programs: the FSWP, the FSTP, and the Canadian Experience Class. These three primary programs of Express Entry value the Comprehensive Ranking System to provide scores and rank candidates based on their human capital factors. These are essentially education, age, occupation, work experience, and language proficiency. Each of these factors has a point value.
In a category-based selection draw focusing on a particular trait, candidates for Express Entry in any of the three programs may also be awarded ITAs. Six categories make up this sort of draw, which debuted in May 2023:
- Healthcare;
- STEM professions;
- Trades;
- Transport;
- Agriculture and agri-food; and
- French-language proficiency
Irrespective of the draw type or program, candidates demonstrating the highest CRS scores will most likely acquire an invitation to apply in a forthcoming Express Entry draw.
Do you have any general queries regarding Canada Express Entry? Let our expert guides at Make Home Canada help you get all the answers. We are just a call away; stay connected at 1-800-979-0509 or simply email your concerns to [email protected].
