According to the Access to Information Request, French language skills will lead the Express Entry category draws this year. The ATIP indicated that in 2024, IRCC is likely to issue 78.5 percent of ITAs to candidates participating in category-based draws. The rest of the 21.5 percent of all invitations will go to candidates through general draws. Qualifying candidates under the French language proficiency category will acquire 30 percent of these invitations, along with STEM occupation contributing to 25 percent of ITAs and 15 percent will belong to the healthcare category.
French language skills will lead the Express Entry category draws
The breakdown of percentages of invitations category-wise are as follows:
- The French proficiency round types will have a target of 30 percent regarding invitations.
- The healthcare occupation invitation round will have a target of 15 percent.
- The STEM occupation category will have an invitation target of 25 percent.
- The trade occupation category will have a target of 5 percent.
- Transport occupation round type will have an invitation target of 3 percent.
- The Agriculture and Agri-Food invitation round will have an invitation target of 0.5 percent.
The idea of Express Entry category-based draws came to the forefront in May last year. This was meant to be the medium of selecting Express Entry candidates with specific in-demand skills and expertise, such as French language proficiency and work experience.
The reason behind the French language category becoming prominent
In April 2023, the ATIP reported that French proficiency held a different level of significance. This is particularly due to the 2021 Labour Market Information Council Report which stated that Canadian employers were facing challenges in hiring eligible skilled workers to fill the vacancies with the Bilingualism requirement. Furthermore, the report also stated that the principal economic applicant with French language skills had witnessed greater chances of employment.
Another Statistics Canada study of January found similar things as in the above data. The study found that language proficiency emerged as the most significant factor in determining the economic immigration of a candidate in the labor force in Canada.
In addition, IRCC claims that this has a significant impact on Canada’s public services as all Canadians can officially access the services in French or English language.
ATIP 2023 details
The 2023 ATIP claims that during the period when the French category first became official, IRCC analyzed that at least 11 to 15 percent of candidates will get an invitation via this category only. Furthermore, till today, IRCC has issued a maximum number of invitations in category-based draws to French proficiency candidates. This implies 17,300 invitations since July 2023.
The immigration department also observed that issuing invitations to a significant number of French-skilled candidates will help in fulfilling its target of 4.4 percent. The target is related to French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec in 2023. Interestingly, IRCC gained success in the above target, with 4.7 percent of newcomers settling outside Quebec. He further claimed that the target for 2024 would rise to 6 percent.
The ATIP reported that there appeared to be a mixed support level for the French language category. 54 percent of stakeholders believed that the French category would prove beneficial. Contrarily, 42 percent of people believed that the category wouldn’t have any influence, while others remained uncertain about its impact. The report found the lowest support from stakeholders in Alberta and British Columbia as they believed that this category would only impact the Francophone communities and not contribute economically.
Conversely, other participants argued that the category is significant due to the need for Bilingualism in healthcare, tourism, education, and hospitality. They even emphasized the non-economical advantages, including the removal of barriers for Francophone minorities to utilize services in their first language.
Discussing the time and size of draws
The ATIP 2024 claims that the immigration department has created a schedule for Express Entry draws this year. However, such details have been removed or hidden. The report claims that the draws will occur in such a manner that they will offer provinces, territories, and clients a chance to anticipate them. This will prove advantageous for those with a fixed schedule, which indicates that the draws will have a proper schedule in the upcoming times. Last year, it became challenging for everyone to predict the draws, specifically after the introduction of category-based draws.
So far, in 2024, IRCC has organized one general draw and a minimum of one category-based selection draw in every two weeks. However, the department has also conducted three draws in the same week. Taking this pattern into account, it is still uncertain if this will continue for the remaining part of 2024.
Next, as far as the draw size is concerned, IRCC will issue ITAs to candidates based on the admission targets of 2024-2026. This year, IRCC plans to welcome at least 117,770 new PRs and 117,500 in 2025. Also, the number of candidates receiving ITAs will not remain the same as the standard processing time for Express Entry is nearly six months. Therefore, it is evident that those candidates who will receive ITAs in the remaining part of 2024 will not arrive in Canada until 2025.
CRS scores and their significance
The 2024 ATIP also states that the expected draw frequency should plan draws often to keep the pool healthy enough with sizes that work well. However, they warn the score people need to get an invitation and that who is in the pool might differ because of what the provinces and territories do and the number of people who join the pool.
In short, the Express Entry application pool candidates and their CRS scores will greatly influence the minimum CRS scores for the forthcoming draws.
The ATIP further saw a decline of nearly 10 percent in the overall average CRS score after the introduction of category-based invitation rounds. It predicted that this decline would broaden the source country and occupational diversity. However, it even observed that it could negatively influence a new immigrant’s economic results since greater CRS links with more robust economic results.
Moreover, Express Entry draws over the past few months have witnessed greater minimum scores in general draws, not less than 524. Meanwhile, a few category-based draws have had lower CRS scores, such as 336 in French language proficiency draw on February 29.
If you seek more details about Canada Express Entry, connect with our immigration experts at MakeHomeCanada. Our considerable experience in the immigration field can help you. You may write to us [email protected].
