Canada has issued 2,300 Invitations to Apply in a first Express Entry draw to target candidates with French language proficiency.

The July 7 draw was the fourth this week, featuring a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 439, the lowest of all the draws conducted.

This week has seen Canada move fully into draws targeting specific candidate profiles.

It has seen invitations issued to healthcare, STEM and French language candidates, plus one all-program draw.

Canada has now conducted 11 all-program draws, four PNP, two occupation-specific and one each targeted at Federal Skilled Worker and French-speaking candidates.

Canada has now issued 65,249 ITAs in 2023 after inviting 45,115 candidates in the whole of 2022.

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IRCC issued a record 114,431 ITAs in 2021, to all Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Program candidates. It beat the previous record of 107,350 set in 2020.

Canada has a record immigration target of 465,000 for 2023.

The latest draw saw the tie-breaking rule implemented on January 20, 2023, at 1.18pm EST. If more than one candidate had the minimum CRS score, only those who submitted their Express Entry profiles before this date and time received invitations.

This was the 20th round of invitations under Express Entry in 2023 and 256^th overall.

Candidates have a 60-day window to submit their applications, which will be processed within the six-month standard.

The decision to also target francophone candidates is intended to support French-speaking communities across Canada, outside Quebec.

Under the new draws, announced in May, occupations in the following fields will also be targeted:

• Healthcare
• science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
• trades, such as carpenters, plumbers and contractors
• transport
• agriculture and agri-food

To be eligible, candidates must have accumulated, within the past three years, at least six months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in one of the individual occupations, a full list of which are available further down this article.

The aim is to make Express Entry, which manages applications for federal immigration streams including the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and Canadian Experience Class, as well as parts of the Provincial Nominee Program, more responsive to labour market needs.

Changes to the Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act

Canada first signalled its intention to start occupation-specific draws through Express Entry in June last year, when changes were made to the Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act to allow invitations based on occupations and other attributes, such as language ability.

The majority of Canada’s provinces have been issuing occupation-specific invitations for several years.

Under the changes to the act, the Immigration Minister is required to consult provinces and territories, members of industry, unions, employers, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organizations, and immigration researchers and practitioners, before announcing new categories.

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IRCC must also report to parliament each year on the categories that were chosen and the reason or the choices.

Employment and Social Development Canada says the number of occupations facing shortages doubled between 2019 and 2021. From 2018 to 2022, Federal High Skilled admissions accounted for between 34 per cent and 40 per cent of overall French-speaking admissions outside Quebec, which manages its own immigration intake.

What Can Employers Do to Recruit Foreign Workers?

Employers are encouraged to consider securing an LMIA or nomination under provincial nomination programs (PNPs) to ensure long-term retention of employees.

At immigration.ca we provide Canadian employers with unparalleled immigration legal services and recruitment of foreign nationals through our in-house skilledworker.com. We bring qualified candidates to Canada in the shortest time possible. Employers in a wide range of industries can directly benefit from our unique position as one of Canada’s leading immigration firms in the industry, with a strong online presence, to meet both their recruitment and immigration requirements.

Interested employers wishing to seek our assistance are invited to contact us here for further information.

What Should Candidates Do Next?

CRS scores are expected to continue to fall in 2023 as Canada increases the number of ITAs issued.

Securing an approved offer of employment is highly recommended as one of the best pathways to guaranteeing an ITA in the next round of invitations.

Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free online evaluation. We will provide you with your evaluation results within 1-2 business days.

Resources:

• Immigration.ca News Articles – A daily news source outlining the latest developments in immigration, employment and the economy with commentaries by Attorney Colin Singer.
• At skilledworker.com we are dedicated to developing long-term strategic alliances with client companies and candidates alike. We strictly adhere to our guiding principles of honesty, integrity and confidentiality.

Colin R. Singer is immigration counsel for www.immigration.ca and Managing Partner of skilledworker.com. He is one of Canada’s foremost senior corporate immigration attorneys. Colin is internationally recognized as an experienced and recommended authority on Canadian immigration and foreign recruitment. In addition to being licensed human resources professional, he is a licensed Canadian lawyer in good standing with the Quebec Law Society for more than 30+ years and is authorized by the Canadian government in all immigration matters.