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Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has at last launched Express Entry draws specific to certain categories. This constitutes the first-ever such draw by Canada since the unveiling of six new categories on May 31.
The most recent Express Entry draw, which took place on June 28, 2023, invited a total of 500 Healthcare professionals under the newly instituted category-specific selection draw. Candidates had to attain a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 476 to qualify.
A subsequent round, with 1,500 invitations for workers, is planned for July 5. There’s an expectation of another draw within the same week for qualifying individuals from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields.
Express Entry Draw #252
Who Received Invitations?
- Total issued invitations: 500
- Required rank for application invitation: 500 or higher
- Draw type: Healthcare Professions (2023-1)
- Round date and time: June 28, 2023, 14:04:34 UTC
- CRS score of lowest-ranked invited candidates: 476
- Tie-breaking rule: November 12, 2022, 12:47:27 UTC
In case of tied lowest scores, the cut-off is determined by the submission date and time of their Express Entry profiles.
Category-Specific Draws for Healthcare Professions
On May 31, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) confirmed the finalization of a new category-specific selection for Express Entry. Healthcare professions constitute the biggest number of eligible occupations among the six new categories, comprising a total of 35:
- Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
- Chiropractors
- Dentists
- Dieticians and nutritionists
- Educational counselors
- General practitioners and family doctors
- Instructors for individuals with disabilities
- Kinesiologists and other specialized therapy and assessment occupations
- Licensed practical nurses
- Massage therapists
- Medical laboratory assistants and related technical roles
- Medical laboratory technologists
- Medical radiation technologists
- Medical sonographers
- Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
- Nurse practitioners
- Nursing coordinators and supervisors
- Occupational therapists
- Optometrists
- Other supporting health services occupations
- Other natural healing practitioners
- Other health diagnosing and treating professional occupations
- Other therapy and assessment technical occupations
- Paramedical professionals
- Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
- Physician assistants, midwives, and allied health professionals
- Physiotherapists
- Psychologists
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists, and cardiopulmonary technologists
- Clinical and laboratory medicine specialists
- Surgery specialists
- Counseling therapists and related specialized therapy professionals
- Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
- Veterinarians
- Gap in Healthcare Worker Availability in Canada
Canada’s Healthcare sector is grappling with a severe lack of skilled professionals, partly due to Canada having one of the lowest birth rates worldwide coupled with an aging population. The resultant heightened demand for healthcare services necessitates more immigrants to offset the dearth of younger Canadians and fill vital positions listed in the Canada In-demand Occupation List.
Recent data indicate that as of March 2023, there were 144,500 unfilled positions in the healthcare and social assistance sector, representing 17.7% of all job vacancies.
Several Canadian provinces have already initiated targeted draws for Healthcare professionals in 2023. Alberta, for example, has recently established a Healthcare-specific pathway under its Alberta Advantage Immigration Program. British Columbia and Ontario have also invited foreign workers in Healthcare roles.
The establishment of new categories is intended to tackle the job vacancies highlighted in the Canada Occupation In-demand List. Immigration is deemed vital for addressing labor shortages and promoting the French language’s growth in French minority communities outside of Quebec.
Source: canada.ca
