The landscape of Canada Express Entry draws has shifted significantly in the last two weeks with the introduction of occupation-specific draws.

The new draws began with 500 invitations for healthcare workers on June 28.

Since then, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has invited 10,100 candidates, with only 1,500 of them coming through all-program draws.

The other invitations included 6,100 for French-speakers, 2,000 for healthcare workers and 500 for candidates in STEM occupations (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

It heralds a new era of Express Entry, with a complete change in the priorities of IRCC.

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Previously, the vast majority of invitations, outside the anomaly of the pandemic, were issued through all-program draws. IRCC conducted an all-program draw every two weeks on a Wednesday, with the occasional program-specific draw for Federal Skilled Trades or Provincial Nominee Program candidates thrown in for good measure.

The trend of regular all-program draws was for the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score to sit more recently in the higher 400s, but previously in the low 400s.

With all-program draws no longer the priority, that score has risen into the 500s, and is expected to stay there given the reduced frequency of all-programs draws.

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Since June 28, IRCC has issued multiple draws on different days of the week targeting different sets of candidates. In the first week of July, immigration officials conducted four separate draws – previously unheard of in the history of Express Entry.

Minimum CRS scores for occupation-specific draws have been significantly lower than those for all-program draws. The score for the French-language draw on July 7 was 439, with scores of 463 and 476 in the two healthcare draws and 486 in the STEM draw.

The two all-program draws in that period have seen scores of 505 and 511.

Officials can now conduct one of a variety of available draws on any given day.

Broadly, those draws fall into three categories:

1. Occupation-specific (including French-speakers)
2. All-program
3. Program-specific

However, within those three categories there are several sub-categories that mean officials now have 11 different types of draw they can now conduct.

Those 11 draws are:

1. Occupation-specific: Healthcare
2. Occupation-specific: STEM
3. Occupation-specific: Trades
4. Occupation-specific: Transport
5. Occupation-specific: Agriculture and agri-food
6. Targeted: French-speakers
7. All-program
8. Program-specific: Federal Skilled Worker
9. Program-specific: Provincial Nominee Program
10. Program-specific: Canadian Experience Class
11. Program-specific: Federal Skilled Trades

The early indications are that IRCC officials will weight the numbers of invitations heavily towards occupation-specific draws.

These occupations were chosen because they have the most severe shortages in Canada. It makes sense, therefore, that officials would issue the most invitations in these occupations.

What to Expect Under Canada Express Entry Immigration?

The emerging priority list for Express Entry draws is as follows:

1. Occupation-specific draws

Expect to see the most draws, the highest numbers of candidates and the lowest CRS scores through occupation-specific draws. 

2. Provincial Nominee Programs

Annual immigration levels provide for more allocations to the provinces.  Expect to see an increase in draws in the PNP stream. Also expect to see an increase in allocations through the PNP stream. Candidates nominated by provinces receive an extra 600 points, so these draws always have higher CRS scores. These candidates almost always have a job offer in hand in the province that nominates them.

3. All-program draws

From previously being No 1 priority, these draws have slipped down the list. They invite all candidates who have the minimum CRS score or above. By nature, they are less targeted than occupation-specific draws. Expect CRS scores in the 500s going forwards.

4. Program-specific: Canadian Experience Class

From being the main focus of draws during the pandemic, including one mega draw of more than 20,000 invitations, program-specific draws for the Canadian Experience Class have not taken place since September 2021. The occasional could still happen, but a return to the frequency seen in the pandemic is unlikely.