Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, has declared the beginning of a New Category Stream for Express Entry. IRCC will concentrate on Express Entry applicants with high French language skills or job experience in the following sectors:
- healthcare
- science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
- trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
- transport
- agriculture and agri-food
According to the minister, enabling IRCC to send out more invitations to qualified individuals in these particular professions will help Canada meet its objective of attracting in-demand workers to all of its areas. A full list of eligible occupations under the new categories is available here.
Draws under the new categories are expected to start later this summer.
Why are new Express Entry categories being added?
The new categories are intended to fill openings across Canada. Immigration is viewed as a key factor in addressing the labour shortage and elevating the status of the French language in communities of French descent outside of Quebec.
“Everywhere I go, I’ve heard loud and clear from employers across the country who are experiencing chronic labour shortages” says Fraser. “These changes to the Express Entry system will ensure that they have the skilled workers they need to grow and succeed. We can also grow our economy and help businesses with labour shortages while also increasing the number of French-proficient candidates to help ensure the vitality of French-speaking communities. Put simply, Canada’s immigration system has never been more responsive to the country’s social or economic needs.”
Following amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act announced in June 2022, category-based draws were planned to start this year. The modifications provide the minister the power to choose immigrants in support of Canada’s economic interests based on important characteristics.
How were the categories chosen?
The categories were chosen in accordance with legal requirements that the Minister take part in open consultation with provinces and territories, business leaders, labour advocates, unions, employers, and organisations that provide services for settling immigrants.
Each year, IRCC will report to Parliament on
- the categories chosen the previous year
- why and how they were chosen
- the instructions to establish a category
- the number of invitations issued for each category
What is Express Entry?
In order to address the shifting demands of Canada’s economy and labour sector, Express Entry was launched in 2015. Three economic immigration programs—the Federal Skilled Workers Programme, the Federal Skilled Trades Programme, and the Canadian Experience Class—are managed using this application management system.
Candidates for these programmes receive scores based on human capital variables such job experience, language proficiency, occupation, education, and more using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The most likely recipients of an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence were the applicants who received the highest total CRS score.
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