Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has conducted its fourth Express Entry draw of the week, issuing 400 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence. This latest draw, held on December 21, specifically targeted candidates in agriculture and agri-food occupations under the category-based selection initiative. Candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 386 to qualify.
This marks an exceptionally active week for Express Entry, as IRCC held three other draws on December 18, 19, and 20. The December 18 draw was an all-program selection and invited 1,325 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 542. All-program draws typically include candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.
On December 19, IRCC conducted a category-based draw for trade occupations, inviting 1,000 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 425. This was only the second such draw in 2023 that focused on trades workers—the previous one was held on August 3, which invited 1,500 applicants.
The December 20 draw was aimed at occupations in the transportation industry. In that round, 670 applicants received ITAs, with a cut-off CRS score of 435.
This is not the first wave of high-frequency draws in December. In the previous week alone, IRCC invited over 7,900 candidates across three separate draws. On December 6, 1,000 candidates were invited in an all-program draw with a high minimum CRS of 561—the first draw after more than a month-long pause. On December 7, 1,000 French-speaking candidates were invited with a CRS score of 470. The following day, December 8, was one of the largest category-based draws yet, with 5,900 STEM professionals receiving ITAs at a cut-off of 481 points.
While IRCC did not disclose an exact reason for the gap in draws through much of November, the department confirmed on November 14 that a technical issue affected Express Entry profile uploads, which may have temporarily impacted processing timelines.
Canada’s increased frequency and category-based targeting of Express Entry draws reflect new strategic efforts to meet specific labor market needs. With agriculture, trades, transportation, STEM, and linguistically gifted candidates all receiving focused attention, IRCC is clearly aligning immigration pathways with high-demand sectors.
According to Maple News, prospective applicants should closely monitor CRS score trends and emerging categories to enhance their chances of receiving an invitation under Canada’s dynamic immigration system.