The latest Express Entry draw occurred for Agricultural occupations on December 21. The candidates from the Agricultural and Agri-Food occupations received 400 invitations, with the lowest CRS score of 386. This draw took place after three other draws this week. The draws occurred on 18, 19 and 20. On December 18, an all-program draw was held in which 1,325 candidates obtained ITAs, and the minimum CRS score was 542.
On December 19, IRCC issued ITAs to 1,000 candidates as this was the second draw for category-based trade occupations in 2023. Candidates needed to score at least 425 points. The first draw occurred on August 3 this year, in which 1,500 candidates received invitations.
In addition, on December 20, 670 candidates from the transport occupations received ITAs; they had a CRS score of 435.
Besides this, IRCC even conducted three draws the last week. The immigration department invited 5,900 candidates from STEM occupations on December 8. They had a CRS score of 481. Additionally, on December 7, candidates possessing French language proficiency issued ITAs to 1,000 candidates, and they had a minimum CRS score of 470. On December 6, candidates in an all-program draw issued ITAs, and their lowest minimum CRS score was 561. This draw occurred long after a pause of one month. Before this draw, Express Entry conducted a draw for Healthcare occupation candidates on October 26, 2023.
Reasons behind the temporary pause in Express Entry draws
IRCC didn’t reveal any reason behind the pause of the Express Entry draws. However, on November 14, it discussed the ongoing technical challenges due to Express Entry candidates failing to upload their profiles to the profile builder. Two days later, the department further declared that the issue had been resolved. The various possible reasons behind the pause include the following:
- IRCC aligned to fulfill the Express Entry targets per the latest Immigration Levels Plan.
- IT challenges
- Staffing changes
- The latest updates within the CRS system.
The latest Express Entry draw occurred for Agricultural occupations – Summary of draws since June 2023
Refer to the table given below for the Express Entry draw since June this year:
| 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 |
Express Entry Draws – Category-based selection and the latest targets
The immigration application system that supervises three chief programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the FSTP, and the CEC, is the Express Entry. This system ranks and gives scores to candidates based on human capital attributes, including age, experience, education, occupation, and language proficiency.
Candidates who obtain the highest CRS scores have the maximum possibility of receiving an ITA for PR in a subsequent Express Entry draw. After acquiring an ITA, they must submit their applications directly to IRCC, and then the department processes them within six months.
Furthermore, Express Entry category-based draws started taking place only because of the acute labor shortages. The new categories emerged as specific industries have long been facing labor shortage challenges. On seeing this, IRCC decided to bring those industries facing shortages into the limelight and hire candidates with the skills and experience required for in-demand occupations. These categories included candidates with French language skills, Healthcare, STEM professions, Trades, Transport, and Agricultural and Agri-Food occupations.
The latest Immigration targets for Express Entry include 114,000 new permanent residents toward the latter half of 2025.
Our immigration representatives at Make Home Canada have immense knowledge related to Canada Express Entry. To clarify your doubts or queries, you may write to us at [email protected]
