Tens of thousands of intended immigrants had been waiting in the pool to be selected under the Express Entry (EE) program for Permanent Residence Status (PR) over the years, especially after the pandemic.
We have witnessed that the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) point median refuses to go down and stays above 485. The inventory of applications is reducing the chances of thousands of candidates who are in the queue every year.
However, there is some good news for many, especially if they are engaged in the targeted occupations. Sean Fraser, Canada’s Immigration Minister, has announced the launch of category-based selection draws for Express Entry candidates. This category-based selection draw will take place with the regular draws under the same program.
This year, we will see the government will focus on candidates who come from the following background:
- Strong French language proficiency or work experience in the following fields:
- Healthcare Occupations
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Occupations
- Trade Occupations, such as Carpenters, Plumbers, and other Contractors
- Transport Occupations
- Agriculture and agri-food Occupations
This move will be exciting for future candidates. Let us see when the IRCC rolls out this Bill C19 NoC-based draws. We predict it to be implemented after July 2023.