On December 3, 2024, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held a new Express Entry draw, offering 800 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residency. This draw specifically targeted candidates with French language proficiency, marking an important step in Canada's effort to strengthen its French-speaking workforce.
To be eligible for an invitation in this draw, candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 466. This score reflects various factors such as age, education, work experience, and language skills, among others. The recent draw is the second one this month, following the issuance of ITAs for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates on December 2, where 676 invitations were extended with a higher CRS cutoff of 705.
November 2024 also saw a total of six Express Entry draws, offering 5,507 ITAs. During this period, draws focused on Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and PNP candidates continued, demonstrating the consistent trend of selecting applicants from these categories. These patterns are likely to persist as the new "In-Canada" focus category is established to target CEC candidates and other regional applicants, which could eventually include those from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
Under Canada’s latest Immigration Levels Plan, the “In-Canada” category has been allocated 82,980 permanent residency admissions, making up over 40% of the total planned admissions for the coming year. French-speaking candidates, particularly those outside of Quebec, are also expected to see a rise in ITAs. With the French-language allocation for 2025 reaching 29,235 admissions, there is an anticipated increase in invitations over the next few years. IRCC's Francophone immigration strategy further outlines plans for these numbers to increase in 2026 and 2027.
Express Entry is Canada’s primary system for managing applications for three key federal immigration programs: the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). Additionally, applicants who have a provincial nomination through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) aligned with Express Entry can also receive an enhanced nomination, adding 600 points to their CRS score.
The CRS score is based on multiple factors such as work experience, education, language skills, and age. Applicants with higher CRS scores stand a better chance of receiving an ITA in upcoming draws. If a candidate receives a provincial nomination through an enhanced PNP stream, it boosts their chances significantly, as the nomination adds 600 additional CRS points.
While most draws focus on selecting candidates based on their CRS scores, IRCC has introduced category-based selections. These selections prioritize applicants with specific professional skills or language abilities that meet the needs of Canada’s labor market. Such category-based draws typically have lower CRS cutoffs compared to general or program-specific draws, giving more applicants the opportunity to receive ITAs.
Express Entry Draw Summary for December 2024:
December 3, 2024: French language proficiency – 800 ITAs, CRS minimum 466
December 2, 2024: Provincial Nominee Program – 676 ITAs, CRS minimum 705
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