Trades are one of the five occupational sectors that IRCC prioritizes via Express Entry category-based draws. Express Entry category-based draws take place to fill the labor market gap for trade workers in Canada.
This year’s Express Entry categories include healthcare, STEM professions, trades, transport, & agriculture. IRCC introduced category-based draws to aid labor market gaps in the nation.
The first-ever category-based draw occurred on June 28. Since then, these five occupational groups have had four category-based draws.
Note: The main difference between ‘standard’ Express Entry draws & the new category-based draws is an applicant’s CRS score. The standard draws utilize CRS scores as their primary way of ranking applicants. However, the newer draws prioritize applicants with relevant work experience.
Why Were Trades Selected As A Targeted Express Entry Category?
According to ESDC, skilled trades are in high demand and vital to communities across Canada. In addition, ESDC projects that to meet nationwide demand for skilled trades work, over 256,000 new apprentices are required over the next five years.
Moreover, as per the Canadian government, the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum estimates that over 122,000 new journeypersons will be needed to sustain workforce certification across Red Seal Trades in Canada between 2022 & 2026.
Note: The Red Seal is a program which develops standards as well as exams for Red Seal Trades. A tradesperson who passes the exam obtains an endorsement, proving that a tradesperson has met the trade’s national standard.
Taken together, these projections & estimates validate why the government has chosen to emphasize the immigration of applicants with relevant work experience in trade via category-based draws.
How Many Trade Workers In Canada Are Required?
Buildforce Canada estimates that the construction industry must recruit over 299,200 new trade workers in Canada by 2032. This projection indicates that over 20%of the labor force in the field is expected to retire soon.
Additionally, ESDC operates an online tool known as COPS, i.e., the Canadian Occupational Projection System. According to this tool, job openings are expected to grow by nearly 20,000 between 2022 & 2031.
More specifically, the following outlines how four factors will contribute to new job openings in the forthcoming years.
- 3,400 of job openings will be because of ‘expansion demand’.
- 11,800 of job openings will be created because of ‘retirements’.
- 1,800 of job openings will be because of ‘other replacement demand’.
- 2,600 of job openings will be because of ‘emigration’.
All in all, these numbers indicate that thousands of new trade workers in Canada are needed to fill labor gaps.
What Opportunities Do Prospective Immigrants Have?
According to the 2022 year-end Express Entry report, immigration applicants with experience in trade professions were among the top recipients of ITAs for PR in Canada.
In Particular, cooks were among the top 15 significant professions who obtained ITAs last year. This is a trend continuance from 2021. That year, people in this profession were among the top 5 ITA recipients by primary profession.
This can be seen as an indication, prior to the introduction of category-based draws, that the federal government was aiming to welcome immigrants to this nation who are able to fill labor market gaps in skilled trades.
In addition, Ahmed Hussen, Canada’s Minister of Housing & Diversity & Inclusion, highlights the existence of significant employment opportunities for Canadian immigrants in the trade industry.
Hussen stated the requirement of trade workers in Canada, saying that they need more individuals & skilled immigrants to help them in building trades & construction sectors of the economy. In addition, they need those workers to come & help them in building the housing that Canadians require.
Well, this provides the reason to believe that prospective Canadian immigrants with recent employment experience in skilled trades might be able to establish meaningful careers if they come to Canada via Express Entry category-based draws for trade professions.
Trades Express Entry Draws: History
To date, IRCC has issued one round of invitations for Express Entry applicants with recent work experience in trades professions.
This draw occurred on August 3, wherein over 1,500 immigration applicants with relevant trade work experience were invited to apply for PR in Canada. In addition, applicants in those draws must have a CRS score of 388 in order to be considered.
Before trades category-based draw, information obtained from IRCC by the Globe & Mail noted that category-based draws for those with experience working in trade professions would add up to around 3-4% of all ITAs issued under Express Entry for the rest of the year.