Results of Canada’s Express entry Draw from February 29, 2024

Today’s draw saw IRCC issue another 2,500 Invitations to Apply(ITAs), to candidates with strong French-language skills. The 2,500 ITAs in this round make this the third-largest invitation draw for 2024. Candidates who received an ITA today all had a minimum Comprehensive Ranking SystemScore of 336 (CRS).

Today’s draw is a follow-up to the all-program/general drawing conducted by IRCC in February, where 1,470 ITAs were issued to candidates with a Minimum CRS Score of 534. 

Note: This is a developing article. We will update it if IRCC conducts any more Express Entry draws during this week.

Express Entry

Express Entry is the application management system for three of Canada’s economic-class permanent residence programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program(FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program(FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Since June 2023, Canada has expanded the Express Entry system to include a second type of draw called a category-based draw. 

Below we will outline the differences between each of these draws.

Standard Express Entry Draws

“Standard” Express Entry draws rank eligible candidates against each other based on their CRS scores, which are numerical values assigned to al Express Entry candidates based on a variety of human capital factors. Age, education and Canadian work experience are some of the factors that go into calculating a candidate’s score. As they relate to standard Express Entry draws, CRS scores are directly responsible for determining whether a candidate will receive an ITA during a given Express Entry draw. This is because only candidates with a CRS score above the cut-off for a given draw will be rewarded with an ITA. 

The following steps must be performed in order for an Express Entry candidate to receive consideration for an ITA through IRCC’s standard Express Entry draws: 

1. Candidates must first assess their eligibility for one of Canada’s three Express Entry programs, which are managed by the FSTP.
2. If eligible, candidates can proceed to create an online profile with IRCC
3. At this time, candidates will formally enter the Express Entry candidate “pool” and receive their CRS score
4. Candidates must now wait for the next Express Entry draw from IRCC to see if they will receive an ITA for permanent residence in Canada

Note: Receiving an ITA is the only way for candidates to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry

Category-BasedInstant Entry Draws

Category-based draws, meanwhile, began in June of 2023 to help IRCC bring in more foreign skilled workers who have specific work experience/proficiencies in key areas of need across Canada – as designated by IRCC itself. In 2023, IRCC indicated that the department’s category-based draws would prioritize immigration candidates with the following qualities:

Work Experience

Express Entry applicants with work experience in these industries:

• Healthcare
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
• Trades
• Transport
• Agriculture and Agrifood

Language Proficiency

Express Entry immigration candidates with strong French language proficiency (defined as a “minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens” (NCLC)).

Update: After indicating that the department would allow itself the room to reassess these categories and adjust them if necessary, on February 12, IRCC confirmed that it would continue with the same Express Entry categories for 2024. This announcement has more information. Here is a link to the article. 

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