News release

May 31, 2023

Canada Launches New EE Category Based Immigration Program

 

With employers eagerly seeking to fill countless vacant positions across the country, immigration emerges as a vital piece to solving this puzzle. Recognizing this reality, the Government of Canada is building an immigration system that acts as a catalyst for growth, empowering businesses, helping address their labour needs and strengthening French communities. When combined, these efforts will ensure Canadians benefit from economic and social prosperity for years to come.

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced the first-ever launch of category-based selection for Canada’s flagship economic immigration management system, Express Entry. Category-based selection will allow Canada to issue invitations to apply to prospective permanent residents with specific skills, training or language ability. Further details on the timing of invitations for individual categories and how to apply will be announced in the coming weeks.

This year, category-based selection invitations will focus on candidates who have

• a strong French language proficiency or
• work experience in the following fields:
  • healthcare
  • science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
  • trades, such as carpenters, plumbers and contractors
  • transport
  • agriculture and agri-food

By allowing us to invite more skilled workers in these professions, category-based selection supports Canada’s commitment to welcoming in-demand professionals into communities across the country. Additionally, by placing a special focus on Francophone immigration, the Government of Canada is ensuring that French communities can continue to live their life in Canada in the official language of their choice.

Category-based selection will make Express Entry more responsive to Canada’s changing economic and labour market needs, while building on the high human capital approach that has been a hallmark of Canada’s successful economic immigration system. These priorities maintain the focus on bringing in skilled workers with the potential to integrate and contribute to Canada’s future.

Quotes

“Everywhere I go, I’ve heard loud and clear from employers across the country who are experiencing chronic labour shortages. These changes to the Express Entry system will ensure that they have the skilled workers they need to grow and succeed. We can also grow our economy and help businesses with labour shortages while also increasing the number of French-proficient candidates to help ensure the vitality of French-speaking communities. Put simply, Canada’s immigration system has never been more responsive to the country’s social or economic needs.”

– The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

• Express Entry is Canada’s flagship application management system for those seeking to immigrate permanently through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Canadian Experience Class and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program.
• In June 2022, the Government of Canada made changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to allow for the selection of immigrants based on key attributes that support economic priorities, such as specific work experience or knowledge of French.
• Legislative requirements to use these new authorities include that the Minister engage in public consultations, prior to establishing a new category, with provinces and territories, members of industry, unions, employers, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organizations, and immigration researchers and practitioners. Each year, IRCC must also report to Parliament on the categories that were chosen during the previous year and the selection process, including the rationale for choosing them.
• The categories have been determined following extensive consultations with provincial and territorial partners, stakeholders and the public, as well as a review of labour market needs. A complete list of eligible jobs for the new categories is available on our website.
• The first category-based invitations to apply are expected to be sent this summer.
• Immigration accounts for almost 100% of Canada’s labour force growth, helping to addresses labour shortages in key sectors.
• According to Employment and Social Development Canada, the number of occupations facing shortages doubled between 2019 and 2021.
• Under the Canada–Québec Accord, Quebec establishes its own immigration levels. From 2018 to 2022, admissions under the Federal High-Skilled program accounted for between 34% and 40% of overall French-speaking admissions outside Quebec.

Eligibility for Express Entry Category-based Selection

In category-based rounds of invitations, IRCC invites candidates in the Express Entry pool who are eligible for a specific category established by the Minister to meet an identified economic goal. IRCC invites candidates to apply for permanent residence based on criteria such as

• ability to communicate in a specific official language
• work experience in a specific occupation
• education

Category-based rounds add to general and program-specific rounds by inviting top-ranking candidates who can help us meet these specific economic goals.

IRCC will announce the chosen categories in advance.

Candidates with a provincial or territorial nomination

IRCC will continue to invite candidates with a provincial or territorial nomination through general and Provincial Nominee Program-specific rounds. These candidates have demonstrated they have the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the province or territory’s economy.

Step-by-step guide to category-based selection in Express Entry

This step-by-step guide shows how category-based selection differs from the current Express Entry process and which steps are the same.

Text version: A step-by-step guide to category-based selection in Express Entry

1. Show your interest
   Create an online Express Entry profile in your IRCC secure account.
2. IRCC places you in the Express Entry pool
   If you’re eligible for one of the programs under Express Entry (federal skilled worker class, federal skilled trades class or Canadian experience class) IRCC will place you in the Express Entry pool.
3. Check your Comprehensive Ranking System score
   While your Express Entry profile is in the pool, IRCC will assign you a score based on your points in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). You can view your score in your IRCC account.
4. IRCC identifies candidates eligible for a category
   IRCC identifies candidates in the pool, based on their profile, who are eligible for a specific category the Minister established.
5. IRCC ranks your Express Entry profile
   IRCC ranks eligible candidates based on their CRS score.
6. IRCC runs a round of invitations
   In all round types, IRCC invites eligible candidates with the highest CRS scores to apply to an economic immigration program. In category-based rounds, candidates must also be eligible for a given category to be invited.
7. Apply for permanent residence
   If you receive an invitation to apply, you have 60 days to submit an application for a specific program in Express Entry.
8. IRCC makes a decision on your application
   IRCC makes a decision based on program eligibility, the accuracy of the information in your profile, category eligibility and whether you’re admissible to Canada.

How IRCC Chooses on Categories

IRCC chooses categories based on

• labour market information and projections
• input IRCC received from our partners, including provinces and territories, and stakeholders across the country

Each year, IRCC reports to Parliament on

• the categories IRCC choses the previous year
• why and how IRCC choses them
• the instructions to establish a category
• the number of invitations IRCC issued for each category

IRCC will also

• include information about category-based selection in the Express Entry Year-End Report
• monitor and assess categories on a regular basis

Categories chosen for 2023

For 2023, IRCC choses these categories:

1. French-language proficiency
2. Healthcare occupations
3. Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations
4. Trade occupations
5. Transport occupations
6. Agriculture and agri-food occupations

Who is eligible

To be eligible for an invitation through a category-based round, you must

• meet the minimum criteria for Express Entry, including being eligible for 1 of the 3 immigration programs it covers and
• meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round

When IRCC holds a category-based round of invitations, IRCC will

• rank candidates in the pool who meet the category requirements and
• invite top-ranking candidates to apply for permanent residence

Eligibility for the French-language proficiency category

To be eligible, you must

• have French-language test results that show a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens
• meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round

Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.