Canada invites new Provincial Nominee Program candidates in the latest Express Entry draw

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has recently conducted a new Express Entry draw, inviting 763 candidates through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). To qualify, applicants needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 690.

This draw is the first of August and continues the trend from July, which saw an unusually high number of Express Entry draws. In July alone, over 25,000 invitations to apply (ITAs) were issued across nine different draws, making it the busiest month for Express Entry since its inception in 2015. This is a notable rebound from June, which had only one draw.

July’s activity included four category-based draws. Two of these targeted candidates with French language skills, with the lowest CRS score for the month being 400 from the July 18 draw. The remaining two category-based draws focused on healthcare and trade occupations.

Additionally, there were five program-specific draws: two for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and three for the PNP. Notably, the draw on July 2 for PNP candidates had the highest CRS score of 739 for the month. This increase in program-specific draws reflects IRCC’s effort to focus more on permanent residents already living in Canada, in line with its goal to reduce the number of temporary residents and meet its target for permanent resident admissions.

Here’s a summary of the Express Entry draws for 2024 so far:

• July 31: 5,000 ITAs for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) with a minimum CRS of 510.
• July 30: 964 ITAs for PNP with a minimum CRS of 686.
• July 18: 1,800 ITAs for French language proficiency with a minimum CRS of 400.
• July 17: 6,300 ITAs for CEC with a minimum CRS of 515.
• July 16: 1,391 ITAs for PNP with a minimum CRS of 670.
• July 8: 3,200 ITAs for French proficiency with a minimum CRS of 420.
• July 5: 3,750 ITAs for healthcare occupations with a minimum CRS of 445.
• July 4: 1,800 ITAs for trade occupations with a minimum CRS of 436.
• July 2: 920 ITAs for PNP with a minimum CRS of 739.

Express Entry, introduced by IRCC in 2015, is a system designed to select candidates for Canadian immigration who are likely to contribute successfully to the economy. It evaluates candidates based on factors like age, education, language skills, and work experience, assigning scores through the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Candidates with the highest scores are invited to apply for permanent residency.