Canadian govt invites 975 Express Entry candidates in first transport occupation draw of 2024

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has sent out invitations to candidates in the second Express Entry draw of the week, says CIC news.

The department issued 975 invitations to apply (ITAs) in a category-based draw for transport occupations.

Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 430.


IRCC also issued ITAs on March 12. It was a general draw inviting 2,850 candidates. A general draw considers candidates from all three Express Entry managed programs and uses the CRS as the main eligibility criteria.

Candidates required a minimum CRS of 525, a decrease of nine CRS points from the previous general draw on February 28 and the lowest minimum CRS for a general draw so far this year.

In February, there were a total of six draws, which invited a total of 16,110 candidates. The month began and ended with draws that focused on selecting candidates based on their proficiency in the French language.

The first was on February 1 and invited 7,000 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 365. The other took place on February 29 and invited 2,500 candidates with a minimum score of 336, the lowest CRS score in any draw so far this year, says CIC news.

The four remaining draws included two more category-based selections. On February 14, 3,500 candidates in healthcare occupations with a minimum CRS of 422 were invited. On February 16, 150 candidates in agriculture and agri-food occupations with a minimum score of 437 were also invited, according to CIC News.

Finally, IRCC held two general Express Entry draws in February. On February 13, the department invited 1,490 candidates with a minimum score of 535 and 1,470 candidates on February 28. These candidates had a minimum CRS score of 534.


What is Express Entry?

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


How to evaluate?

Candidates who self-evaluate that they are eligible for one of these programs can then upload a profile to the IRCC website and receive their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, says CIC News. The CRS assigns scores for human capital attributes such as work experience, education, occupation, language ability and age.

Applicants in the Express Entry pool are evaluated based on their CRS scores, and those with higher scores are more likely to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency.


Time given to submit final application

Once a candidate receives an Invitation to Apply, they have 60 days to submit their final application to IRCC.