This week has been significant for those waiting to become Canadian permanent residents. Two new Express Entry draws have combined to issue a total of 5,964 invitations to apply for PR.
Draw Breakdown: July 30 & July 31
- July 31: 5,000 invitations for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates. The CRS cutoff score dropped to 510, a decrease of 5 points from the previous draw.
- July 30: 964 invitations for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates, with a high CRS cutoff of 686.
Candidates who received an invitation now have 60 days to submit their complete application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Currently, IRCC is processing Express Entry applications in about 5 months.
Express Entry Activity for July
July has been a busy month for Express Entry. So far, IRCC has issued 25,125 invitations to apply (ITAs), with draws alternating between specific program categories and category-based selections. Notably,:
- CEC Draws: 11,300 invitations by July 31.
- PNP Draws: 3,275 invitations by July 31.
- Category-Based Draws: Includes 5,000 ITAs to candidates with French language skills, 3,750 ITAs to healthcare professionals, and 1,800 ITAs to trade occupation candidates.
Future Focus
In 2024, Canada aims to invite 110,000 new permanent residents through Express Entry, up from last year’s target of 82,880. The focus will be on key areas such as healthcare, STEM fields, trades, transport, and agriculture, with an emphasis on candidates with French language skills at NCLC 7 or higher.
The return to program-specific draws, which began on May 30 after a year-long hiatus, aligns with IRCC’s goal to boost domestic draws and balance temporary and permanent resident targets.
Stay tuned for more updates and insights on the latest in Canadian immigration!
