Latest Express Entry Draw | 471 Candidates Invited

IRCC issued 471 invitations to Apply (ITAs) in the first Express Entry draw of 2025, targeting candidates with a minimum CRS score of 793. This draw follows two PNP draws and a French language proficiency draw in December, with a total of 2,561 ITAs issued last month. In 2024, IRCC primarily focused on inviting candidates from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), and French-language proficiency categories. This trend is expected to continue into 2025, with these three groups likely receiving the most attention in future draws.

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IRCC’s Express Entry priorities for 2025 focus on two main categories: the "Federal Economic Priorities," which include French-language candidates and those with healthcare or trades experience, and the "In-Canada Focus," which covers CEC and PNP candidates. Together, these categories are expected to account for the majority of the 124,680 admissions under Express Entry in this year.

A chart depicting the CRS cut-off scores for the last 10 EE draws

Source: IRCC

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Chart Analysis:

The chart illustrates a noticeable pattern in the recent?Express Entry draws?conducted by?Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and this trend has been received with enthusiasm. There has been a decrease in the cut-off?Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score,?in each separate category, resulting in a higher number of?Invitations to Apply (ITAs)?being issued to eligible candidates. This adjustment has been made to ensure that IRCC achieves its multi-year immigration target for 2024-26.

What is Express Entry (EE) and how does it work?

Express Entry?is an electronic selection system used by the?Federal?as well as?Provincial governments of Canada?[to select], as well as designated Canadian employers [to nominate] candidates for Canadian permanent residence under three of its popular economic [skilled] immigration programs. Candidates eligible for any of the above programs are given a?Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score?in the?Express Entry?Pool. It is based on their Core/Human capital factors such as age, work experience, education, and language ability in English and/or French, etc. And, based on scores, candidates are periodically invited (or nominated) for?permanent residence.

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What is the New Category-based selection in Express Entry?

The categories for selection include

• Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC)
• Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
• French-language proficiency: Candidates demonstrating fluency in French
• Occupation-specific draws: Candidates with experience in occupations facing shortages in Canada, including:

Healthcare

STEM Professions (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Trades

Transport

Agriculture and Agri-food

The rationale behind?category-based EE Selection?is to address labour shortages in critical sectors of the Canadian economy. Canada aims to welcome?more skilled workers?to alleviate these shortages, especially considering the anticipated retirement of up to nine million Canadians by 2030.

Check if you?qualify for Express Entry. Check out our?Settlement Resources?to learn how to find employment in Canada, making your initial days stress-free, etc.