French Language Proficiency Will Lead Category-Based Draws

French-language proficiency will lead category-based draws in 2024, as per the recent Access To Information Report (ATIP). IRCC will issue over 78.5% of all Invitations To Apply to Express Entry applicants in category-based selection draws. The remaining 21.5% will be issued in general draws. 

Applicants eligible for selection via the French proficiency category will obtain 30% of these, with STEM professions making up the next highest at 25% and healthcare at 15%.

The percentage of ITAs by category by category breakdown is as follows: 

Category-based selection draws are a means for IRCC to target the Express Entry applicants with in-demand attributes, like language abilities, work experience, etc. 

Why Is French Proficiency Leading? 

French language proficiency will lead to category-based draws. Well, this statement is true, as in another ATIP from April 2023, French proficiency was singled out as particularly significant. According to a 2021 Labor Market Information Council report, employers in Canada were having trouble finding qualified, skilled workers to fill vacant positions requiring bilingualism. In addition, it found that French-speaking economic principal applicants had higher incidences of employment. 

This data was supported by a Statistics Canada study released in January that found language ability is the biggest deciding factor in an economic immigration applicant’s overall success in the Canadian labor force. 

IRCC also states that this impacts public services in Canada because all Canadians have the right to access these services in either official languages (English/ French). 

According to the 2023 ATIP, when the category was first proposed, IRCC noted that anywhere from 11% to 15% of applicants invited through category-based selection would be from this category. However, to date, French proficiency draws have invited the highest number of applicants of any category. 

The department also noted that inviting a high percentage of French-speaking applicants would help ensure that IRCC meets its mandated target of 4.4% of all francophone newcomers settling outside of Quebec in 2023. 

Moreover, the department was successful in this. Immigration Minister Marc Miller declared in January that 4.7% of all newcomers are outside Quebec. He said the target would rise to 6%. 

The ATIP also noted that support for this category was mixed. While 54% of stakeholders supported the category, over 42% indicated that they felt the category would have no impact or were unsure of the impact. Support was at its lowest levels from stakeholders in British Columbia and Alberta. They felt that there would be no important economic impact outside of Francophone minority communities. 

Other respondents in support of the category said that there is a need for bilingualism in healthcare, tourism, education, and hospitality. They also pointed out the non-economic advantages that would come from the category, like removing barriers for French-speaking minorities to access services in their primary language. 

When Will Draws Occur and How Big Will They Be? 

According to the 2024 ATIP, the immigration department has developed a schedule for Express Entry draws in 2024. However, most details have been redacted. It states that draws will occur in a way that will provide predictability to provinces and territories and clients with a consistent schedule. 

This is the primary indication that draws will occur on a schedule this year. Draw frequency throughout 2023 was challenging to predict following the introduction of category-based selection. 

Thus far in 2024, IRCC has conducted one general draw and at least one category-based draw every two weeks, although there have been certain occasions with three draws in one week. There is no method to confirm if this pattern will persist throughout the rest of the year. 

In terms of how large the draws will be, IRCC states that it will invite applicants based on admissions targets outlined in the present Immigration Levels Plan. In 2024, IRCC has the target of welcoming 110,770 new permanent residents in 2024 and 117,500 in 2025. The number of applicants invited every year will not be the same as the target because Express Entry applications have a processing standard of six months. This implies that applicants invited in the latter half of this year will not land in Canada until 2025. 

Impact On CRS Scores  

French language proficiency will lead to category-based draws. The 2024 ATIP also states that anticipated round sizes at this frequency of draws must be feasible based on present expectations of pool vitality, although the CRS score and composition of the pool may deviate from expectations depending on PT behavior and pool replenishment. 

Put another way, this implies that the number of applicants in the Express Entry application pool, and their CRS scores will have an impact on the minimum CRS cut-off scores for upcoming draws. 

In the 2023 ATIP, IRCC stated that it is expected to see a drop of approximately 10% in the total average CRS score following the introduction of category-based selection rounds. It anticipated that this drop would likely help widen source country and occupational diversity. However, it also noted that there could be a negative impact on newcomer’s economic outcomes since higher CRS correlates with stronger economic outcomes. 

Express Entry draws in recent months have witnessed higher minimum scores for general draws, with none lower than 524. Meanwhile, some category-based selection draws have required much lower scores, such as 336 for a French-language proficiency draw on February 29.