It is great news for the Express Entry candidates as Immigrants, Refugees and Citizens Canada (IRCC) has announced to hold an Express Entry draw in the early of 2023 for the same. The IRCC is planning to hold a draw for the candidates from the Express Entry system based on the needs of the labour market. Approach Emigrantz, to get required preparation for this target Express Entry draw.
It is also expected that the IRCC is planning to discuss with the different sector stakeholders to create new categories as per the Canadian legislation followed by various technical implementations. The recently passed Bill C-19 announced by the Canadian immigration minister also indicates the draw for the Express Entry candidates that meet various economical needs. IRCC is also planning to invite the candidates depending on their language, occupation, or educational qualification instead of their Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS).
Why would Express Entry change?
Sean Fraser, the minister of immigration, stated that without the modifications, the Express Entry system does not allow IRCC to alter Invite to Apply (ITAs) to fit in-demand skills or certificates.
“The Express Entry system as it exists today is probable to bring in more people that might not be exactly suited to the needs of the Canadian economy if you’re in a situation in which you have an enormous amount of implementations that are all in one specific industry, and that sector doesn’t have high needs in Canada,” Fraser said.
As we witnessed throughout the pandemic, IRCC proved that it is free to invite as many applicants as it likes for any programme. One notable instance occurred on February 13, 2021, when Canada extended invites to all Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants in the pool, totalling more than 27,000 people. Due to COVID-19 travel limits, IRCC was able to alter its tactics according to the legislation in effect at the time and invite individuals for Express Entry based on which programme they qualified for. This was first done to target Express Entry candidates who qualified for one of two programmes: the CEC because they were likely already in Canada and thus were exempt from travel limitations, or candidates who had a nomination from a nominating organization.
Hence, alteration in Express Entry can potentially increase the immigration rate in Canada by satisfying its labour market needs.
In the meantime, the invitation for the all-program draw is happening continuously and has its first draw on July 20 by inviting 1,500 candidates with a score of 557.
In order to make your Canada immigration process a smooth one, get in touch with Emigrantz.
Who will be targeted in these Express Entry draws?
It is not known exactly which types of candidates will be targeted in these new Express Entry draws. However, Canada’s immigration minister will have new powers to invite candidates based on factors including occupation, language ability, or educational background. This may be done in combination with a candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
Let’s look at a few hypothetical ways in which the new targeted Express Entry draws could be used:
Targeted Express Entry draws based on occupation
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada was experiencing a shortage in nurses. Pandemic pressures have only made things worse.
“Canadians can’t get their surgeries, can’t get their specialized treatments, we have ERs closing across the country and the big reason is that we don’t have enough for nurses,” said Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union (CFNU), in an interview with CTV News this week.
Registered nurses have not been in the Top 15 occupations invited through Express Entry in any of the past three years for which data is available.
Using the new targeted Express Entry draw system, Canada could choose to invite nurses from the Express Entry pool by using a draw that targets candidates with experience in National Occupational Classification (NOC) Code 3012 (Registered Nurses).
Notably, this is just one hypothetical example of how the new targeted Express Entry draws could target certain occupations. These draws could target other in-demand occupations. According to Statistics Canada, there are five primary sectors driving Canada’s total job vacancies: construction, manufacturing, retail trade, healthcare & social assistance, and accommodation and food services.
Targeted Express Entry draws based on educational background
Targeting candidates based on certain educational backgrounds offers a similar opportunity as targeting based on occupation. In this case, the Government of Canada may choose to target candidates who have completed certain types of educational credentials.
As COVID-19 travel restrictions ease, air travel is picking up in Canada and around the world. In Canada, this has exposed a shortage of aircraft mechanics (NOC 7315). These are the workers who maintain and repair aircraft—a crucial occupation to keep air travel running smoothly.
As aircraft mechanics are a skilled trade requiring a license to practice in Canada, these positions can be hard to fill. In order to become an aircraft mechanic in Canada, workers must go through an official licensing process which includes a compulsory educational component.
In order to address the shortage of aircraft mechanics, IRCC could target Express Entry candidates who indicate they have obtained their license to practice as an aircraft mechanic in Canada, which includes the requisite education component.
Again, this is one example of a method through which targeted Express Entry draws could target a range of different types of educational credentials in different occupations and industries.
Targeted Express Entry draws based on language abilities
Any candidate in the Express Entry pool knows that high language test scores are already a crucial component of a competitive Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. However, targeting candidates based on language abilities would allow Canada to address one major challenge in its immigration strategy: attracting French-speaking immigrants to regions outside Quebec.
In Canada’s Francophone Immigration Strategy, the government officially adopts a “target of 4.4% of immigrants outside Quebec to be French-speaking by 2023.” As of 2019, French-speaking immigrant admissions represented only 2.8% of all immigrants admitted to Canada outside Quebec.
In 2020, approximately 7,000 French-speaking Express Entry candidates were invited through Express Entry, totally 7% of total invitations. While this is above Canada’s target of 4.4% of immigrants outside Quebec to be French-speaking by 2023, only about one-quarter of Canada’s total immigrant admissions come through Express Entry.
It is feasible that Canada’s immigration department could use targeted Express Entry draws in order to meet the government’s objectives for increasing the number of French-speakers. This could easily be accomplished by inviting Express Entry candidates who have submitted official French language test results reaching a certain score.
How can Express Entry candidates prepare for the new targeted draws?
As it’s not yet known exactly who these new Express Entry draws will target, it may seem challenging to prepare for their introduction. However, we have a few suggestions for steps you can take to prepare for what may come:
- Follow the latest Express Entry news coverage One of the best ways to prepare is to ensure that you are getting Express Entry news and updates when they happen. This way you have the information you need to make timely and informed decisions about your immigration process.
- Optimize your Express Entry profile and CRS score
Is your Express Entry profile already the best it can be? Or, could you increase your CRS score by re-taking a language test? Maybe you speak French, but you haven’t bothered to add it to your profile? Or perhaps you didn’t bother adding all your work experience from the past 10 years to your profile?
Now is a good time to ensure that you’ve optimized your Express Entry profile as best you can. Imagine if Canada conducts a targeted draw for French-speakers and you speak French, but you never took a language test. Planning ahead now can ensure you maximize your chances later.
If you’re looking for assistance with optimizing your Express Entry profile and increasing your CRS score, we recommend to improve your CRS score.
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