French proficiency becomes priority in Canada’s 2024 express entry draws, as per recent Access to Information Request.
According to data shared by Carry Immigration and obtained via the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) system, IRCC plans to allocate 78.5% of all ITAs in 2024 through category-based selection draws. This approach will apply to Express Entry candidates. IRCC will use general draws to distribute the remaining 21.5% of ITAs.
30% of the ITAs will go to candidates who meet the requirements for the French proficiency category; 25% will go to candidates with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) vocations; and 15% will go to candidates in the healthcare industry.
Here is the distribution of ITAs by category:
- IRCC will allocate 30% of ITAs to the French proficiency category.
- IRCC designates 15% of ITAs for the healthcare occupations category.
- IRCC will direct 25% of ITAs to the STEM occupations category.
- IRCC sets aside 5% of ITAs for the trade occupations category.
- IRCC will assign 3% of ITAs to the transport occupations category.
- IRCC targets 0.5% of ITAs for the agriculture and agri-food occupations category.
Category-based selection drawings were first implemented in May 2023 as a means for the IRCC to concentrate on Express Entry applicants who meet certain requirements, such as having job experience and being able to speak English.
The Leading Role of French Proficiency in Express Entry Selection Draws
A media-accessible April 2023 ATIP disclosed that French language competency is a key area of emphasis for Canada’s Express Entry selection process. This emphasis results from a report published in 2021 by the Labour Market Information Council, which found that companies in Canada were having difficulty filling positions requiring bilingualism with suitable candidates. The study also revealed that economic immigrants who spoke French had greater employment rates.
This result is consistent with a January Statistics Canada study that found that language ability was the single most important factor influencing economic immigration candidates’ success on the Canadian labor market.
Furthermore, as Canadians are entitled to receive public services in either of the country’s official languages French or English, IRCC has observed that language proficiency has an impact on access to these services.
Furthermore, since Canadians are entitled to receive public services in either of the country’s official languages—French or English—IRCC has observed that language proficiency affects access to these services.
French Proficiency Draws – Support, Goals, and Concerns
When IRCC first proposed the category in the 2023 ATIP, they projected that 11% to 15% of candidates invited through category-based selection would fall within the French proficiency category. However, since July 2023, IRCC has issued the most ITAs for French proficiency draws, totaling 17,300.
Inviting a sizable proportion of French-speaking individuals, according to the IRCC, would help it achieve its legislated goal of having 4.4% of all francophone immigrants settle outside of Quebec by 2023. In January of this year, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that they had exceeded this goal, with 4.7% of all newcomers having settled outside of Quebec. IRCC expects to raise the goal to 6% by 2024.
The ATIP also revealed divided opinions among stakeholders regarding this category; 54% of them supported it, while 42% were uncertain about its impact or believed it would have no effect. The least supportive stakeholders were those from Alberta and British Columbia, who expressed worries about the economic impact on areas outside of Francophone minority populations.
Supporters of the category, however, stressed how important bilingualism is in fields like education, healthcare, tourism, and hospitality. They also emphasized non-financial advantages, such as lowered language barriers and better service accessibility in minority groups that speak French.
IRCC’s Scheduled Approach to Express Entry Draws in 2024
IRCC outlined a schedule for Express Entry draws in 2024 in a 2024 Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) document, but many details were deleted. The agreement specifies that in order to give provinces, territories, and applicants predictability, the draws will happen on a regular timetable.
For the first time, there’s word that the Express Entry draws in 2024 will have a set timetable. The use of category-based selection contributed to fluctuations in draw frequency throughout 2023.
Every two weeks as of now in 2024, the IRCC has conducted one general draw and at least one category-based draw, with three draws occurring in some weeks. It’s uncertain, though, if this trend will hold true for the remainder of the year.
The Immigration Levels Plan for 2024–2026 specifies admissions targets, which the IRCC says will be in line with invitation sizes. In 2024, 110,770 new permanent residents are expected, and in 2025, 117,500. However, because Express Entry applications typically take six months to process, the number of candidates admitted through this route will not quite match these goals. Therefore, IRCC may not grant permanent residency status to candidates invited in the latter part of 2024 until 2025.
Effects on CRS score
According to the 2024 ATIP assessment, based on current applicant pool forecasts, the expected size of Express Entry draws should be feasible. It does, however, note that the pool’s composition and the CRS score may differ from those anticipated due to variables such as Provincial and Territorial conduct and the pool’s rate of replenishment.
Put simply, this means that the minimal CRS cut-off scores in future draws will depend on the size of the Express Entry pool and the candidates’ CRS scores.
According to the 2023 ATIP report, the IRCC anticipated that the introduction of category-based selection rounds will result in a roughly 10% decrease in the average CRS score. Since higher CRS scores are generally linked to better economic success, the anticipated drop in scores could harm the economic outcomes for new arrivals, even as it enhances the diversity of source countries and occupational backgrounds.
The lowest CRS scores for general draws in Express Entry draws have increased recently, with none falling below 524. Certain category-based selection draws, however, have had far lower cut-offs. For example, a draw on February 29 for French language proficiency required a minimum score of 336.
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