IRCC has invited over 1,500 Express Entry applicants for the third day in a row. In addition, the invitations were issued to applicants eligible for category-based selections in healthcare professions.
Thus, in total, 1,500 Express Entry applicants were invited. Moreover, these applicants required a minimum CRS score of 463. Well, this is the lowest score of any Express Entry round of invitations issued in 2023.
The healthcare category/ classification was expected as last week IRCC assured that it would hold invitation rounds this week for 1,500 healthcare professionals. This was followed by the first-ever category draw, which took place on June 28, wherein over 500 healthcare professionals obtained ITAs with a minimum CRS score of 476.
The recent draw followed the first-ever invitations issued to applicants in STEM professions on July 5. In previous invitation rounds, over 500 STEM applicants with a CRS score of 486 obtained ITAs.
In addition, IRCC also invited 700 Express Entry applicants in an all-program draw with a minimum CRS score of 511. Express Entry considers FSTP, FSWP, and CEC applicants in an all-program draw.
Healthcare Professions For Category-Based Selection
Among the six new categories, healthcare professions account for the most significant number of eligible professions. Here they are:
- Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
- Chiropractors
- Dentists
- Dieticians and nutritionists
- Education counselors
- Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
- General practitioners and family physicians
- Licensed practical nurses
- Massage therapists
- Instructors of persons with disabilities
- Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
- Medical laboratory technologists
- Medical sonographers
- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
- Nurse practitioners
- Medical radiation technologists
- Nursing coordinators and supervisors
- Occupational therapists
- Other practitioners of natural healing
- Optometrists
- Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
- Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
- Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
- Physiotherapists
- Psychologists
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- Paramedical occupations
- Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
- Specialists in surgery
- Therapists in counseling and related specialized therapies
- Veterinarians
- Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
In Canada, immigrants account for 23% of the registered nurses, 54% of dental technologists, & 36% of registered physicians. In addition, the country heavily relies on immigration to fill the gaps in the labor force.
The recent data on job vacancies by Statistics Canada reveals that there were almost 153,000 vacant positions in the social assistance & healthcare sector as of April 2023. This is the highest vacancy level across all employment sectors.
Category-Based Selection Draws
On May 31, the immigration minister of Canada, Sean Fraser, declared that new categories had been finalized for category-based selection Express Entry draws.
The declaration was expected following a change in IRPA in June 2022. This change offers Sean Fraser the authority to select economic immigration applicants with critical attributes that align with the nation’s economic priorities or the minister’s mandate to promote the French language outside the province of Quebec.
The new categories are as follows:
- Healthcare
- STEM professions
- Trade
- Transport
- Agriculture/ Agri-Food
- Strong French-language proficiency
These categories/ classifications are selected depending on the labor market discussions & projections with IRCC stakeholders & partners, along with provincial & territorial governments.