The Express Entry (EE) organizes and processes applications for people who wish to immigrate to Canada and acquire Canadian permanent residence. Express Entry is not an immigration by itself, rather it’s an online system that manages applications sent to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) department. The system manages three Canadian immigration programs:
- Federal Skilled Workers (FSW)
- Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Candidate profiles under the Canadian Express Entry system are ranked against each other according to a point-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The candidates with the highest ranking scores in the Express Entry draw will be considered for an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence.
These invitations are issued by the federal government on a regular basis.
THE LATEST EXPRESS ENTRY DRAW 266 - SEPTEMBER 27, 2023
The IRCC issued 500 invitations to applicants in the Express Entry Draw 266, which was a category-based draw in French-language proficiency. Applicants having a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System Score (CRS) of 472 received an Invitation to Apply (ITA). According to the tie-breaking rule, candidates who created their profile before August 16, 2023, at 09:00:14 UTC were prioritized.
This is the second consecutive EE draw and the fourth in September. Yesterday’s draw invited 3000 candidates for PR and the minimum cut-off score was 504. Today’s draw CRS score is 32 points lower.
Last week, IRCC held the first-ever category-based draw for Transport occupations. It is designed for candidates with transportation experience, such as Commercial truck drivers, pilots, and aircraft assembly workers, among others. Find out if your occupation is eligible for the Transport category-based EE draw. When compared to this draw, today’s draw’s CRS minimum score is 37 points higher.
Do i have a higher chance to immigrate to Canada through Category-based Draws?
Yes, candidates in the express entry pool have a higher chance to move to Canada through category-based draws because the minimum CRS score in the selected categories can probably be lower than in all-program daws.
| Draw | Date | Program | No of Issued ITA | MIN CRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 266 | September 27, 2023 | French Language | 500 | 472 |
| 265 | September 26, 2023 | All Programs | 3000 | 504 |
| 264 | September 20, 2023 | Transport Occupations | 1000 | 435 |
| 263 | September 19, 2023 | All Programs | 3200 | 531 |
| 262 | August 15, 2023 | All Programs | 4300 | 496 |
| 261 | August 03, 2023 | Category-Specific | 1500 | 388 |
| 260 | August 02, 2023 | Category-Specific | 800 | 435 |
| 259 | August 01, 2023 | All Programs | 2000 | 517 |
| 258 | July 12, 2023 | Category-Specific | 3800 | 375 |
What are Express Entry Category-Based Draws
Express Entry category-based draws / occupation-specific draws are express entry draws that enable the IRCC to issue Letter Invitation to Apply (ITA) to candidates with talents, skills and jobs that are most in demand in Canada.
There are six new categories for which candidates may be eligible:
- Healthcare
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
- Trades such as carpenters, plumbers and contractors
- Transport
- Agriculture and agri-food
- Strong French-language proficiency
Additionally, category-specific draws can be helpful to candidates because the cut-off score in the selected categories can probably be lower than in all-program daws.
Applicants must have completed at least six months of continuous employment in one of the listed occupations within the previous three years in order to qualify under the category-specific categories. You can obtain this experience in Canada or abroad.
