IRCC Conducts First-Ever Express Entry Draw for Trade Occupations!

Surya Rathee
[Published 14 Aug, 2023 | 02:44 PM]
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Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has conducted a new Express Entry draw. This was IRCC’s third consecutive draw conducted within the last three days.

The Express Entry latest draw held on August 03, 2023, saw invitations being issued to a total of 1,500 candidates under the Trade Occupations category. Invited candidates required a minimum CRS score of 388 - to be eligible for this invitation round.

This was also the first-ever targeted Express Entry draw for candidates under the Trade Occupations category. Trade Occupations are among the six new selection categories finalized by IRCC for Express Entry draws in 2023.

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Express Entry Latest Draw: Key Highlights

Express Entry Draw #261

• Number of invitations issued: 1,500
• Rank required to be invited to apply: 1,500 or above
• Type of draw: Trade occupations (2023-1)
• Date and time of round: August 03, 2023, at 13:24:52 UTC
• CRS score of lowest-ranking candidates invited: 388
• Tie-breaking rule: June 07, 2023, at 07:03:08 UTC

If more than one candidate has the lowest score, the cut-off is based on the date and time they submitted their Express Entry profiles.

Eligibility for Trade Occupations Category

To be eligible to apply under the Trade Occupations category, you must:

• Have at least 6 months of full-time, continuous work experience within the past 3 years in Canada or abroad, in a profession targeted for the Trade Occupations category.
• Meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round.

Targeted Professions for Trade Occupations Category

73200 - Residential and commercial installers and servicers
72406 - Elevator constructors and mechanics
72405 - Machine fitters
72402 - Heating, refrigeration, and air conditioning mechanics
72400 - Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
72310 - Carpenters
72300 - Plumbers
72200 - Electricians (except industrial and power systems)
72106 - Welders and related machine operators
72014 - Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers, and servicers

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IRCC has so far conducted seven invitation rounds under these newly-launched selection categories for Express Entry.

On May 31, Sean Fraser announced that IRCC has finalized six new selection categories for Express Entry draws. Besides Trade Occupations - Healthcare Occupations, STEM Occupations, French-Language Proficiency, Transport Occupations, and Agriculture & Agri-Food Occupations are among the six categories that will be considered for Express Entry draws in 2023. The categories were chosen after considering labor market projections and consulting with various Partners, Stakeholders, Provincial, and Territorial governments.

Under this new selection process, Canada aims to issue Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to prospective candidates with specific Skills, Training, or Language Abilities. This will better allow for the selection of candidates with the most in-demand skills to be chosen to receive an invitation to apply for Canada PR.

Source: canada.ca