IRCC has once again prolonged its invitations to Express Entry candidates for the third consecutive day. Today, invitations were sent to candidates who are eligible for selection based on healthcare job categories. A total of 1500 Express Entry candidates were invited by IRCC in the third round of invitations with a minimum CRS score of 463 or above. This invitation marks the lowest CRS score for the 2023 round of Express Entry.
Anticipated after the announcement by the IRCC last week, the healthcare category draw will see 1,500 healthcare employees receiving invitations this week. Following the initial category-based draw on June 28, the IRCC granted ITAs to 500 healthcare employees with a CRS score of at least 476.
Continuing the sequence of events, today’s draws mark the next phase after the first-ever invitations were sent to STEM job seekers on July 5. 500 STEM candidates with a CRS score of 486 were invited yesterday.
Furthermore, the IRCC conducted a surprise all-program draw on July 4, inviting 700 applicants with a minimum CRS score of 511. Express Entry considers applicants from the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program when conducting all-program draws.
Category-based selection of healthcare occupations
Healthcare occupations, which include 35 eligible occupations, are most prevalent in six new categories:
- Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
- Massage therapists
- Nurse practitioners
- Chiropractors
- Physicians assistants, midwives, and allied health professionals
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- Paramedical occupations
- Medical radiation technologists
- Psychologists
- Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists, and cardiopulmonary technologists
- Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
- Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
- Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
- General practitioners and family physicians
- Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
- Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
- Dental professionals
- Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
- Veterinary professionals
- Therapists in counseling and related specialized therapies
- Other practitioners of natural healing
- Dieticians and nutritionists
- Education counselors
- Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
- Occupational therapists
- Instructors of persons with disabilities
- Specialists in surgery
- Optometrists
- Licensed practical nurses
- Other assisting occupations in support of health services
Canadians rely on immigration to fill critical labor market gaps. The number of licensed practical nurses is 23%, the number of licensed physicians is 36%, and the number of dental technologists is 54%. A total of 153,000 positions were available in the health care and social support sectors in April 2023, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent job openings.
Category-based selection draws
Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser, announced on May 31 that the finalized selections for the new category-based Express Entry draws had been determined.
After a revision to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in June 2022, the expectation of the announcement grew. The amendment grants the Canadian immigration minister the authority to select prospective immigrants based on economic factors and essential attributes that align with Canada’s economic objectives or the minister’s responsibility to promote the French language beyond Quebec.
The following categories of the category-based draw:
- Trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
- Healthcare
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
- Transport
- Agriculture and agri-food
- Strong French-language proficiency
Moreover, IRCC partner and stakeholder forecasts and conversations with provincial and territorial governments informed the category selections.
