French Proficiency to take Centre Stage in Express Entry Draws for 2024!

In 2024, Express Entry draws are expected to prioritize candidates proficient in French, as per recent information obtained through an Access to Information Request (ATIP). The data shows that the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plans to allocate 78.5% of Invitation to Apply (ITA) to candidates selected through category-based draws, with the remaining 21.5% distributed through general draws. Find below the six categories selected for the Category-based selection and allocated percentage of ITAs for each category:

What was the percentage allocation to each category?

Here is the list of percentage share for EE draws in 2024:

• French Proficiency – 30%
• Healthcare Occupation – 15%
• STEM occupations – 25%
• Trade Occupations – 5%
• Transport Occupations -3%
• Agriculture and Agri-food Occupations – 0.5%
• General – no figure given but 21.5% is the remaining percentage left after totalling the above figures.

In 2024, Category-based draws will account for a total of 78.5% of all Invitations to Apply (ITA) issued to Federal High Skilled applicants.

Low General Express Entry Draw Numbers

The apparent drop in invitations extended to (General) Federal High Skilled applicants who are not provincial or territorial nominees in 2024 can likely be attributed to the insights provided above. Compared to previous years of EE draws, these candidates are poised to receive only a marginal share of the total Express Entry invitations for 2024.

Plans for French-Proficiency Draws

The details disclosed through the ATIP request shed light on the government's strategies concerning French-Proficiency category quotas and operational tactics. Here's an excerpt from the ATIP document:

Meeting Francophone Admission Targets:

• Inviting French-Proficient candidates through Express Entry holds paramount importance in achieving the heightened Francophone admission target for 2024 (constituting 6% of admissions in the Rest of Canada).
• The Department aims to invite a substantial number of French-Proficient applicants in December 2023 and throughout the first quarter of 2024 to fulfill the Francophone admission quota for the year.
• Since the majority of French-speaking applicants originate from overseas, early invitations are imperative to facilitate their timely arrival.
• The Department's ability to meet future Francophone immigration targets heavily relies on replenishing the candidate pool, as the current pool of French-Proficient candidates is nearing depletion.

The insights provided in the ATIP offer rationale for the significant number of ITAs issued under French-Proficiency draws from late 2023 to early 2024 compared to other draw categories. Until date, a total of 12,400 ITAs have been issued in 2024, building upon the 8,700 ITAs issued in 2023 under the French-proficiency category.

What does this mean for aspiring immigrants?

Considering the fact that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has allocated a whopping 30% of all Express Entry invitations for 2024 to candidates proficient in French, mastering French could be your ticket to success in category-based Express Entry draws this year!

Also read-

Manitoba PNP Draw on 24 April- Total 327 Candidates received Letters of Advice

Quebec invited 1,036 candidates in latest Arrima Immigration Draw

New Ontario PNP- Foreign Worker Stream Draws- 211 Candidates received invitation

IRCC invites 1,400 French-Speaking candidates in Latest Category-based Express Entry draw

To confirm latest Canada immigration updates and apply for Canadian Permanent Residency (PR) Visa this year through a trusted Migration expert, you may contact Visas Avenue on Toll-Free No. 78-18-000-777 or you can drop us an e-mail at info@visasavenue.com.

- Rajneesh Kumar