Canada Invites 1,980 in Express Entry Draw #290

Canada holds the third Express Entry draw in March 2024. With the latest round of EE invitations, 5,805 invitations have been issued this month. Altogether, 25,195 invitations have been issued through the Express Entry system so far in 2024.

On March 25, 2024, the federal government of Canada invited 1,980 candidates to apply for Canadian permanent residence through the Express Entry system. The latest Express Entry Draw #290 was held on March 25, 2024 at 17:45:49 UTC. The minimum score required was that of CRS 524.

As it was a general draw, invitations were issued to candidates eligible for either of the following programs -

• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

A tie-breaking rule of February 25, 2024 at 14:42:38 UTC was applied. Express Entry profiles created earlier are prioritized over profiles that are entered into the pool of candidates at a later date.

The tie-breaking rule is applicable to profiles that have the lowest CRS score, as per the Comprehensive Ranking System, required for that particular round. For such EE profiles, the cut-off will be decided by the date and time that they submitted their profile to the Express Entry system.

Express Entry draws are held by and invitations to apply issued through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

More Domestic Draws in Future

The Canadian immigration minister has declared an intention of holding more in-Canada immigration draws in the near future. On March 21, 2024, the Canadian immigration minister Marc Miller declared an intention to have more “domestic draws”. Such draws will target temporary residents that were already in Canada.

A temporary resident is someone who is already living and working in Canada on a non-permanent basis. This includes foreign nationals who might be in the country on a -

• Canada study permit, or
• Work permit for Canada

The comments are a part of an attempt to manage temporary resident levels in the country for easing the existing pressure on housing, healthcare, etc.

According to the Canadian immigration minister Marc Miller, “As part of our efforts for temporary residents to transition to permanent residency, we will have more domestic draws for us (the federal government) and ask provinces and territories taking part in the Provincial Nominee Program to do the same with their allocations”.  

Targeting of Canadian permanent resident candidates already in Canada will benefit those with a work or study permit for Canada. However, it will have to be seen as to how the minister’s comments translate into official policy on Express Entry selection.

Faster employment growth for new immigrants

A latest report by Statistics Canada revealed an improvement in the “labour market outcomes of recent immigrants since mid-1010s”. The report was released on February 28, 2024.

New immigrants in Canada are now looking at a faster employment rate growth when compared to their Canada-born peers. Moreover, new immigrants in the age bracket of 25 years to 54 years are now shrinking the employment gap between themselves and their Canadian-born counterparts.

Recent immigrants had a growth of 10.7% in their employment rate between 2010 and 2023. During the same time period, the employment growth rate among Canadian-born workers was 4.1%.

The employment rate gap between newcomers and Canadian-born workers has significantly decreased within the last 10 years. As a group, newcomers are on track to do better in finding and securing employment in Canada when compared to their Canada-born peers.

Express Entry remains a top pathway to settle in Canada on a PR visa. Check your eligibility today.