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Category Archives: Express Entry Draw

Matrixx overseas  /  Canada Immigration  /  Express Entry Draw
07 Jul 2023
Express Entry latest draw

IRCC invites 1500 express entry candidates in its category-based selection. Happy news for healthcare workers

Categories Canada Immigration, Express Entry Draw 0 Comments

Latest Express Entry Draw July 2023

IRCC has invited Express Entry Candidates on the third consecutive day. The draw was held on yesterday and invited 1500 candidates who are eligible for the category-based selection in healthcare occupations. Another interesting fact is that the minimum CRS score required is 463, which is the lowest CRS score of any Express Entry round of invitations issued in 2023.

Last week IRCC confirmed that there will be a round of invitations for healthcare workers. The first-ever category-based draw was held on June 28 and invited 500 health workers.

In April 2023, the healthcare sector in Canada experienced the highest level of job vacancies among all employment sectors, with 153,000 unfilled positions. Canada depends on immigration to address critical labor shortages, as immigrants constitute 23% of registered nurses, 36% of registered physicians, and 54% of dental technologists in the country.

Approximately half of the eligible occupations for the new category-based Express Entry draws fall within the healthcare category and include a wide range of occupations including:

  • Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
  • Chiropractors
  • Dentists
  • Dietitians and nutritionists
  • Education counselors
  • General practitioners and family physicians
  • Instructors of persons with disabilities
  • Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
  • Licensed practical nurses
  • Massage therapists
  • Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
  • Medical laboratory technologists
  • Medical radiation technologists
  • Medical sonographers
  • Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
  • Nurse practitioners
  • Nursing coordinators and supervisors
  • Occupational therapists
  • Optometrists
  • Other assisting occupations in support of health services
  • Other practitioners of natural healing
  • Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
  • Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
  • Paramedical occupations
  • Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
  • Physician assistants, midwives, and allied health professionals
  • Physiotherapists
  • Psychologists
  • Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
  • Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists, and cardiopulmonary technologists
  • Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
  • Specialists in surgery
  • Therapists in counseling and related specialized therapies
  • Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
  • Veterinarians

 

 

05 Jul 2023
253 Express Entry Draw

Express Entry Program: IRCC invites 700 candidates in All Program Draw.

Categories Canada Immigration, Express Entry Draw, Work Permits 0 Comments

IRCC has conducted an All-Program draw inviting 700 candidates through the Express Entry program. To meet the eligibility requirements candidates must acquire a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 511.

Today, IRCC has announced that through the Category based selection, they will invite 1500 healthcare workers. Furthermore, IRCC will also invite candidates with work experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) occupations. This will be the first-ever category-based Express Entry Draw for STEM professionals.

The first-ever category-based Express Entry Draw was held on June 28, which invited 500 healthcare workers with a minimum CRS score of 476. The latest all-program draw in 2023 has witnessed the highest CRS score of 511, surpassing any previous draws. This score represents a notable increase from the last all-program draw held on June 27, where 4,300 candidates were invited with a minimum CRS score of 486. Furthermore, the current CRS score is 35 points higher than the required score of 476 in the category-based draw conducted on June 28.

 

Category Based Draws

Sean Fraser, Canada’s Immigration Minister, has announced the implementation of category-based selection draws targeting Express Entry candidates. These draws aim to attract a greater number of highly skilled professionals specializing in specific occupations that are in high demand within Canada.

The new categories under the Express Entry Programs are:

Healthcare occupations

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) occupations

Trade occupations

Transport occupations

Agriculture and Agri-food occupations

French-language proficiency

Express Entry Program

The Express Entry Program was introduced by the Canadian Government in 2015 to tackle the skilled labor shortage in Canada. The old Canada Immigration System was slow and had a lot of backlogs. The sole purpose of the new system is to immigrate skilled professionals in a faster way. The Express Entry system has now become the most popular immigration system globally.

Express Entry System runs three of Canada’s most prominent economic immigration programs.

The Federal Skilled Worker Program

The Canadian Experience Class

The Federal Skilled Trades Program

04 Jul 2023
post graduate

Canada’s Post-Graduation Work Permit for International Students. 3 Basic things you need to know.

Categories Canada Immigration, Express Entry Draw, Work Permits 0 Comments

What is a Post-Graduation Work Permit or PGWP?

The Post Graduation Work Permit or PGWP is a program by the Canada government, which allows international students who have graduated from eligible Canadian learning institutions to obtain valuable Canadian work experience. The training and experience gained through this program enable international students to qualify for permanent residence in Canada through the Canadian experience class within Express Entry.

PGWP Eligibility Requirements

Applicants can only receive 1 Post-Graduation Work Permit in their lifetime. The first and most important requirement for a PGWP is that the applicant must have graduated from an eligible designated learning institution (DLI).  Also, the applicant must currently hold a valid temporary status.

Students must also submit clear evidence that they meet all of the below-mentioned criteria:

  • The applicant is required to complete academic, vocational, or professional training at an eligible institution in Canada that lasts for a minimum of 8 months and results in a degree, diploma, or certificate.
  • The applicant must have maintained full-time student status in Canada during each academic session of the program or programs of study they have completed and submitted as part of their post-graduation work permit application. Exceptions can be made only to the following: leave from studies or Final academic session.
  • The applicant must have received a transcript and an official letter from the eligible DLI confirming that they have met the requirements to complete their study. The transcript and official letter must be included in a post-graduation work permit application.

Within 180 days of the date of applying for the post-graduation work permit, applicants must also meet one of the following criteria:

PGWPs can be extended depending on work permit eligibility.

 International student graduates who meet the eligibility requirements for work permits other than the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) can maintain their legal status and continue working in Canada by applying for a different type of work permit before their PGWP expires.

You may be able to work full-time as your PGWP is processed. International student graduates who submit their Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) application before their study permit expires are eligible to work full-time while their application is being processed. if:

  • The student has finished their course of study.
  • They meet the criteria for off-campus work without a work permit, which includes being enrolled as a full-time student at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in a post-secondary academic, vocational, or professional training program for at least 8 months, resulting in a degree, diploma, or certificate.
  • They stayed within the limits of the allowed working hours.

  Open Work Permit for a spouse or partner of PGWP holder

Spouses and common-law partners of PGWP holders will be eligible for open work permits under the C41 exemption. In order to be eligible for the work permit without proof of a job offer or a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

  • Authorized to work in Canada for a minimum of 6 months after a spouse or common-law partner’s open work permit application is received
  • employed in a highly skilled occupation (NOC 0, A, B)
  • Currently living in or intending to live in Canada while being employed.
01 Jul 2023
Express Entry Draw

The Express Entry Program empowers individuals with exceptional opportunities in healthcare and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) occupations.

Categories Canada Immigration, Express Entry Draw 0 Comments

Express Entry Program for Healthcare & STEM

On May 31, IRCC unveiled new selection categories for Express Entry Candidates. Two days before, IRCC conducted the first-ever Express Entry Category Based draw inviting healthcare workers. It says it will invite more healthcare workers over the coming week. In addition, IRCC plans to hold its first round of category-based draws for STEM workers next week.

Canada is facing a major labour shortage and the new program aims to support Canada’s economic goals and make the labour force strong. The new categories under the Express Entry Programs are:

  • Healthcare occupations
  • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) occupations
  • Trade occupations
  • Transport occupations
  • Agriculture and agri-food occupations
  • French-language proficiency

High demand for healthcare occupations in the new Express Entry Draws

The healthcare sector is facing the most severe labor issues more seriously than any sector in Canada.  According to Employment and Social Development Canada’s Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS), healthcare will become the largest employing sector in Canada, with more than 2.5 million workers by 2031 (up from 2.2 million in 2021).
Almost half of the eligible occupations for the new category-based draws fall under the healthcare category. Have a look at the different occupations:

  • Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
  • Chiropractors
  • Dentists
  • Dieticians and nutritionists
  • Education counsellors
  • General practitioners and family physicians
  • Instructors of persons with disabilities
  • Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
  • Licensed practical nurses
  • Massage therapists
  • Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
  • Medical laboratory technologists
  • Medical radiation technologists
  • Medical sonographers
  • Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
  • Nurse practitioners
  • Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors
  • Occupational therapists
  • Optometrists
  • Other assisting occupations in support of health services
  • Other practitioners of natural healing
  • Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
  • Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
  • Paramedical occupations
  • Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
  • Physician assistants, midwives, and allied health professionals
  • Physiotherapists
  • Psychologists
  • Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
  • Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists, and cardiopulmonary technologists
  • Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
  • Specialists in surgery
  • Therapists in counseling and related specialized therapies
  • Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
  • Veterinarians

STEM Occupations in the new Express Entry Draws

Occupations in Science, Technology, and Mathematics are also in high demand in Canada.  ICT revenues reached $242 billion in 2021, as per the report. Canada is a leading hub for AI, with 1,032 AI and machine learning companies. However, the retirement rate and rapid technological advancements are creating a skills gap in the labour force, causing some employers to hire less qualified candidates, which hampers business growth.
“One of Canada’s greatest strengths is its ability to attract talent. This new STEM-focused category-based selection round will support our science and technology sector and its workforce, by attracting even more of the skilled talent that companies need to drive innovation and realize their growth potential. “Combining its unparalleled ability to attract talent with the innovative capacity of its entrepreneurs, Canada is the best place in the world to start and scale a technology company.” François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada stated in a media release.
Most of the occupations eligible under the STEM category provide high salaries from the beginning. Take a look at the major occupations eligible under this category:

  • Architects
  • Architecture and science managers
  • Business systems specialists
  • Civil Engineers
  • Computer and information systems managers
  • Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
  • Computer systems developers and programmers
  • Cybersecurity specialists
  • Data scientists
  • Database analysts and data administrators
  • Electrical and electronics engineers
  • Engineering managers
  • Industrial and manufacturing engineers
  • Information systems specialists
  • Land surveyors
  • Landscape Architects
  • Mathematicians, statisticians, and actuaries
  • Metallurgical and materials engineers
  • Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants, and program officers
  • Software developers and programmers
  • Software engineers and designers
  • Urban and land use planners
  • Web designers
  • Web developers and programmers

30 Jun 2023
Express Entry Recap 2023

Express Entry Recap: H1 2023 & Exclusive Preview of Next 6 Months – A Promising Journey

Categories Express Entry Draw, Canada Immigration 0 Comments

Express entry is considered the fastest way for skilled workers to migrate to Canada. Even though the express entry procedure faced a long pause during the Covid-19 outbreak, the program is back on track and is faster than ever before.

The program was restarted last year in July, Express Entry draws occurred every two weeks on Wednesdays and resumed the pre-pandemic established patterns. Draw sizes increased by predictable increments while the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score decreased slightly with each draw.

But the pattern was broken by an unexpected six-week pause due to a technical glitch in the Express Entry System. The first draw of this year was held on January 11 and invited 5,500 candidates. This is a higher number when compared with the 2022 draws. After that, the draw sizes fluctuated, going as low as 589 ITAs in May and as high as 7000 ITAs for three consecutive draws in March.

 The number of ITAs (Invitation to apply) issued so far in 2023 is 58,849, which is already higher than the 35,570 ITAs issued in the last year between July and November. This clearly shows the intention of the Canada government. At the beginning of 2023, IRCC issued 11,000 ITAs over two draws in January. However, February was slow, issuing only 4892 in three draws. March witnessed the second-highest number of candidates invited in a single month in Express Entry history. IRCC issued 21,667 ITAs over four draws. April and May were a little dull, inviting 7000 and 5389 respectively.

Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Scores

The minimum CRS Score is also varying according to different draws this year. The highest CRS score so far in 2023 was 791 for a PNP-only draw on February 15 and the lowest was 476 for the first-ever category-based draw on June 28. Most other draws over the past six months have had a minimum CRS cut-off score between 485 and 490.

How often does the draw happen?

There is no fixed schedule for Express Entry draws. The immigration minister decides to decide when to conduct a draw. Mostly there will be a draw every two weeks. But in 2023, more draws are happening. For instance, there were three draws in February, with the first two occurring back-to-back on February 1 and February 2.

Types of Express Entry draws happening in 2023

The Express Entry draws consider three types of economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Workers Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. While considering candidates from all the programs, the Canadian government has also conducted four draws for the Provincial Nominee Program

Expected developments this year in Express Entry

On May 31, IRCC announced that in the summer it would begin holding draws for Express Entry Candidates who fall into six new categories. 82 occupations are now eligible for this category-based selection. Have a look at the new categories:

  •  healthcare
  • Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
  • trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
  • transport
  • agriculture and agri-food
  • Strong French-speaking abilities

Express Entry Candidates with either required work or language experience in selected occupations under these categories will receive an invitation to apply (ITA). Healthcare occupations dominate the overall occupations eligible for category-based selection. Science, Technology Engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations are the other major occupations that also make up a large share of the category.

On June 28, Canada announced the invitation of 500 health workers through its first occupational-specific Express Entry Program.  The immigration minister conveyed that they would invite more than 1500 workers in the next week. On the same day, IRCC announced that it would hold Express Entry draws for eligible candidates under the STEM category during the week of July 5.

IRCC plans to accomplish the target of the Immigration levels plan 2023-2025 through these programs. Canada plans to strengthen its workforce through the immigration of skilled workers.

Another major program that will create a massive impact on the Express Entry system is the introduction of permits for H-1B visa holders in the US. Canada aims to welcome 10,000 H-1B visa holders in the US to come and work in Canada. This will eventually benefit thousands of Indian tech professionals.

On June 27, IRCC said it would provide work permit holders with more flexibility to study in Canada. This will afford them the ability to earn additional CRS points for studying in Canada as long as they pursue an eligible program.

 

29 Jun 2023
Express Entry Draw

IRCC held the fifteenth Express Entry Draw June 2023

Categories Canada Immigration, Express Entry Draw 0 Comments

IRCC held the fifteenth Express Entry Draw 2023, the second this month. 

IRCC has held the fifteenth Express Entry Draw 2023, inviting 4300 candidates in the all-program draw. The candidates must have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 486. This was the second draw this month. The first express entry draw was held on June 8, which invited 4800 candidates in the all-program draw that required the candidates to have a minimum CRS cut-off score of 486.

Since Canada was facing a skilled labor shortage and the old Canada PR application system was slow and had a lot of backlogs, the Canadian government introduced Express Entry in January 2015. The sole purpose of the new system is to immigrate skilled professionals in a faster way. The Express Entry system has now become the most popular immigration system globally.  Express Entry System runs three of Canada’s most prominent economic immigration programs.

  1. The Federal Skilled Worker Program
  2. The Canadian Experience Class
  3. The Federal Skilled Trades Program

Earlier on May 31, IRCC announced that in the summer it would begin holding draws for Express Entry Candidates who fall into six new categories. 82 occupations are now eligible for this category-based selection. Have a look at the new categories:

  • Healthcare
  • Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
  • Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
  • Transport
  • Agriculture and agri-food
  • Strong French-speaking abilities

Express Entry Candidates with either required work or language experience in selected occupations under these categories will receive an invitation to apply (ITA). Healthcare occupations dominate the overall occupations eligible for category-based selection. Science, Technology Engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations are the other major occupations that also make up a large share of the category.

 

09 Jun 2023
Canada Express Entry Draw June 2023

Express Entry: Canada invites 4800 candidates in first draw of June 2023

Categories Canada Immigration, Express Entry Draw
The IRCC held its 14th Express Entry draw for 2023.

In June’s initial draw, following the recent draw on May 24, a total of 4,800 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 488 were invited in an all-program draw. Notably, this minimum score requirement is higher compared to the previous all-program draw on April 26, which had a minimum CRS score requirement of 483.

Exciting news from IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada): they have recently introduced six new category-based selection criteria for Express Entry candidates. These categories aim to attract candidates with specific attributes that align with Canada’s economic goals. The new categories include:

  1. Healthcare professionals
  2. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experts
  3. Skilled tradespeople (e.g., carpenters, plumbers, contractors)
  4. Transportation industry workers
  5. Agriculture and agri-food specialists
  6. Candidates with strong French speaking abilities

These categories have been established to ensure that Canada’s immigration system remains responsive to the evolving needs of its economy. Candidates with relevant work experience in these fields will have enhanced opportunities to immigrate to Canada through the Express Entry system.

Looking at the numbers, excluding the current draw, IRCC has already invited a significant number of candidates in 2023. Over 13 draws, a total of 49,948 candidates have received invitations. This figure is notably higher than the number of candidates invited between July and November 2022, during which IRCC did not hold any all-program draws until July 2022 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (with 31,000 candidates invited).